Of Walls and Scars
by Sydelle Rein
Summary: Sequel to On Shaky Ground! As an army of sorcerers marches on Camelot, Merlin scrambles to come up with a defense strategy. In the meantime: Arthur, newly enlightened about the identity of the mysterious "Emrys," finds hiding his knowledge a little more difficult than he originally anticipated. No slash, as always
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Hello everyone! The moment you've all been waiting for is here: the third and final installment of the ASG/OSG series! If you don't know what I'm talking about, this fic is the sequel of two other stories: Arthur's Silent Guardian and On Shaky Ground. If you haven't read those yet, I strongly suggest reading those first. They will make this story make much more sense. :)**

**For those of you who _have_ read the other two, please enjoy! We open approximately two weeks after the close of OSG.**

_**Of Walls and Scars**_

Chapter One:

Arthur quickly and quietly placed one foot in front of the other, careful not to let the snow crunch under his feet any more loudly than necessary. It was difficult to be stealthy while migrating a path through snow, especially on a slope, but it was not impossible. The group of knights he had brought with him carefully followed his lead.

His eyes scanned the snow-covered boulders. An icy wind swirled ceaselessly around them, making visibility difficult and his metal armor achingly cold, despite his massive layers underneath it to keep him warm. The creature was somewhere around here. It had to be.

Arthur glanced at Merlin. The servant was trailing closely behind him, as usual, and for the moment, Arthur was having trouble deciding if he was reassured or horrified at that fact. In the week that had passed since Merlin's return to work, Arthur was not convinced that he had returned to full strength. He appeared to be doing well enough now, but Arthur had become all-too aware of how good Merlin was at hiding his pain.

But Gaius insisted this creature was magical, meaning that to defeat it, they would need more than swords. Merlin was their best hope. So for now, despite Arthur's worry, he had to be content just silently keeping an eye on him.

He was not content.

They reached the plateau not long later, quite surprised that they had yet to be attacked. But this bode better for the knights. It was easier to fight on flat ground. Cautiously, Arthur peered around.

The plateau was large, and the creature could be hiding behind any of the number of rock formations that stood before them, shadowy silhouettes standing firm against the flurry of snow. Carefully, they stepped forward, unsheathing swords as they walked headfirst into the gale. A discreet glance at Merlin told Arthur that he was fairing well enough, though he was obviously fatigued. But that wasn't necessarily odd. They _had _just climbed a particularly steep slope.

"Where are you?" Arthur whispered to the air, eyes searching for what he knew should be here.

A loud roar interrupted his thoughts, giving him just enough time to shove Merlin out of the way, simultaneously pushing off him to leap in the other direction. His other knights did the same behind them.

Immediately Arthur turned to face the creature now occupying the space where they had just been standing.

"Formation!" he called to his knights. His voice was nearly lost by the wind, but the knights understood what to do anyway. Immediately, they circled the beast, much as they had the dragon all those months ago, though this time on foot.

The white creature blended in perfectly with the snow and ice around it, and it positively radiated cold. Arthur could feel the little heat in his body sucked away, making him shiver more intensely. The creature had a hideous, reptilian face with vicious looking horns sticking up form the back of its head.

_You would think,_ Arthur thought bemusedly,_ that something without legs wouldn't be able to move so cursed fast!_

From their formation, the ice wyrm, near blind according to Gaius, grew confused from the various heat sources surrounding it. It let out a harsh shriek, drawing its head in upon itself, like some sort of massive snake ready to strike the man it faced.

That man was Leon.

No one had time to do anything before the creature unleashed its assault. Arthur hardly dared blink for horror as he saw the wyrm, as though in slow motion, strike forward with vicious fangs exposed. But before the strike connected, with no apparent reason why, Leon and Merlin were sprawled on the ground and the creature withdrew upon itself again, having missed its target.

Arthur leapt forward, thrusting his sword at the creature's body. His sword slid off as if he had struck ice-covered stone, the unexpected result leaving him off-balanced and exposed.

"Sire!" Burik shouted. The creature turned its massive head and struck forward towards its vulnerable attacker. Arthur didn't have time to dodge to the side. It was too fast!

The beasts' attack stopped short as if he had hit some sort of invisible wall. Arthur caught the barest glimpse of a shiver of gold amidst the flurry of snow and wind. If he hadn't known better, he'd have sworn he'd imagined it. Instead, he sparred the barest glance at Merlin.

Merlin, who was still on the ground where he'd landed before, now lay gasping for air. Arthur barely had time to register this before he was forced to dodge another blow—this time with slightly more warning. He attempted to strike again, with the same result as before. Burik leapt forward, but his strikes proved equally useless.

A moment later the beast shrieked in agony and hot steam arose, forcing Arthur, Burik, and the various other knights who had moved forward back instantly for danger of being burned. One of the knights was knocked aside by the creature's thrashings and landed slumped against a boulder.

Steam continued to pour out, obscuring all hope of vision.

Arthur pitched his voice to be heard over the storm, "Regroup!"

The knights flocked around him in block formation, shields raised in defense. Slowly, the thrashings and screeches of the beast subsided and the steam gradually dissipated.

Along with the steam, the wind gradually died as well, so the snow and ice settled back into place. The wyrm lay before them, a sword sticking out of the base of its neck where a slight steam still rose from the wound. Cautiously, the knights held their stance, holding their breath. At long last, the beast's twitching ceased and all was still, save for a slight breeze that passed across the plateau.

Carefully, Arthur crept forward, keeping his sword in place, but the wyrm did not so much as stir. The rest of the knights held their breath, until Arthur announced aloud that the creature wad dead.

Cheers went up at their success. Two of the knights rushed forward to aid Sir Onan, who was conscious, but sat rather dazed at the base of the boulder where he'd been thrown. Arthur looked around for the one person he knew must be responsible, fearful of what he would find after the last thing he'd seen. At last, his eyes landed on Merlin, lying on his side in the snow, knees drawn up to his chest.

Arthur suddenly found it hard to breathe. He took one hesitant step forward, then broke into a run.

Merlin's eyes were squeezed shut as if in pain, his breathing was harsh and ragged, but he _was_ breathing. Arthur quickly checked Merlin's pulse and found it strong, but very fast.

"Merlin," he said firmly, shaking his shoulder. "Merlin you idiot can you hear me?" Merlin gave no response.

Then Sir Leon was at his side.

"What happened?" Arthur demanded before the knight could say a word.

Leon looked over his shoulder. Most of the knights' attention was on Sir Onan. The few that had noticed Merlin's condition watched on with concern, but were well outside hearing distance.

"He cast some sort of spell, then just…" his voice trailed off.

Arthur glanced back at the knights. "You get to tell me everything when we get back," he informed him, knowing this conversation was too risky to have here.

Merlin let out a low groan. After a moment, his eyes fluttered open.

"What…what happened?" he asked hoarsely.

Arthur suddenly realized he didn't have an answer he could give, not without Merlin realizing how much he knew. Arthur hesitated, and after a bare second Merlin's eyes widened, most likely remembering exactly what _had_ happened.

"The wyrm knocked you out," Leon said. "After you saved me."

"Are you ok to stand?" Arthur asked.

Merlin hoisted himself up on one arm, but his arm shook and couldn't support his weight for long. "I…I don't think so," he said at last.

"Where are you hurt?"

Merlin hesitated. "My chest," he said at last. Arthur had a feeling that was not the full truth. "It hit me in the chest, knocked the air from me."

Arhtur _knew _that was a lie. But he really had no reason to doubt the tale, none that he could actually tell him. Once again Arthur was faced with the thought that life would be so much easier if Merlin actually _knew_ that Arthur knew.

"Your body's probably in shock," he said instead, playing along.

"I'll help him, Sire," Leon said. "You should go check on Sir Onan."

Arthur opened his mouth to protest, but shut it when he realized Leon was right. It was only proper that he check on the knight, especially now that Merlin was awake. He finally nodded.

With Leon's help, Merlin regained his feet, still breathing rather hard and leaning for support against the knight, and Arthur turned to rejoin the others.

"Who killed the creature?" Sir Burik asked as Arthur approached, loudly enough that the others could hear as well. Arthur had a fairly good idea, but remained silent, looking at each of the knights in turn, waiting for the inevitable.

Sure enough, "I did, Sire," Leon said, glancing to his sword, still embedded in the wyrm's corpse. Another knight stepped forward to retrieve it, as Leon was occupied supporting Merlin. Leon gratefully reclaimed it from him.

Arthur nodded, pointedly not looking at Merlin again. "Well done, Sir Leon." He looked at the group again. "Let's get off this cursed pile of ice," he said at last.

It took them considerably less time to pick their way down the slope, especially without the infernal wind and snow blaring in their faces, than it had going up.

Arthur kept a subtle eye on Merlin as they descended. He half expected Merlin to be nervously watching him as well, but the effort of not passing out again seemed to be taking the majority of his attention. Leon continued to support him, and when they neared the bottom, he at last gave up and simply picked Merlin up—who for once didn't even protest. Arthur was left frowning in poorly concealed worry.

The farther away from the wyrm's nest they got, the snow gradually thinned, from over a foot deep into mere slush that barely crunched under their boots. The small patches of snow that remained in the trees constantly dripped as they melted. Eventually, Merlin had Leon set him down and managed to walk on his own feet, still supported by the knight, though.

Half an hour's walk later they came to where they had left the horses and their gear. They had camped the night before, wanting to face the creature with plenty of daylight before them. By now, it would be dark by the time they reached Camelot again, but they would make it.

"Rest up," Arthur told his knights. "We will leave in a quarter hour for home." He then went to Sir Onon as the knights scattered. Some went through the trees to the stream to get water; others pulled out blankets from their saddlebags and bundled in them, dignity forgotten. They only had a short time to rest and they intended to warm their frozen limbs as much as possible before they headed out.

"Are you all right?" he asked the knight.

Onon forced a smile as he took a water skin passed to him. "Just a nasty knot on my head. I've definitely survived worse."

"Will you be able to make it back all right? Or do you need assistance?"

"I'll be fine, Sire, but thank you. To be honest, I think Merlin took a worse hit than I did." Arthur's jaw set in a rigid line, and he nodded mutely.

He didn't respond, but glanced nervously at the secret warlock, definitely more afraid for Merlin's health than for Onon's at the moment.

The boy was sitting on a log, doing his best to look completely fine. Arthur could tell something wasn't right with him, though. Hee knew that the creature hadn't hit him, at least not physically. His weakness was _something_ to do with magic. Whether it was something Merlin had done that had weakened him, or it had been some sort of effect of the magical creature, Arthur didn't know. But in any case, Arthur knew he needed rest.

Leon remained close to Merlin throughout the duration of their rest, and throughout the return trip home, which at least gave Arthur a small degree of comfort. At least Merlin was able to ride his horse without too much issue, even if Arthur did set a significantly slower pace than they _could_ have pushed the horses.

As predicted, it was dark a solid hour before they reached Camelot's gate, but they pressed on through the dark. Despite the hour, the air was quite warm, for as soon as they had passed out of the wyrm's radius of influence, the cold had given way to the natural heat of high summer. When they at last dismounted in the main square, the group was exhausted.

"Good work, everyone," Arthur told them. "I thank you for your willingness to serve. Now go home and get some sleep, you've earned it." Obediently, the knights handed off the reins of their horses to the stable hands that were ready and waiting. Normally, Arthur would have handed off the reins of his own horse to his personal servant, but he had no intention of making Merlin stay on his feet any longer than he had to. So when Merlin reached for the reins, Arthur ignored him, took Merlin's reins instead, and handed them both off to a stable hand.

"Go home Merlin. Let Gaius take a look at you, and then get some sleep. Take tomorrow off, too."

Merlin stared for a moment. "Arthur, did you get hit in the head?" he asked at last.

The prince rolled his eyes. "Honestly, you think you'd be a bit more appreciative of a night off. Look, I'm tired, I'm sore, I am going straight up to my chambers and climbing into bed. I certainly don't need to listen to your incessant chatter as I do. So I suggest you do likewise." Thankfully, the boy didn't argue.

With another shrug, and a small smile, Merlin dragged himself up the courtyard steps and into the castle.

As the knights slowly dispersed to do the same, Arthur caught Leon's arm and held him back. "Make sure Merlin makes it home without collapsing, then see me in my chambers," he said simply. Leon nodded grimly. He'd known this was coming.

**A/N: There you have it! I hope it was worth the wait. Reviews, as always, are welcome and loved. Thanks for reading!**

**Lots of love,**

**~Syd**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Yay! I'm so excited about the feedback I've gotten so far! I'm glad you guys have been so excited for this new installment. I will try my hardest not to disappoint! Thanks to all of you who reviewed! On to chapter number two!**

Chapter Two:

"What do you mean you don't know?" Arthur demanded.

Leon winced at the incredulous tone. He'd known this was how the conversation was going to go since the moment Merlin collapsed.

"I'm sorry, Sire," he said, "but I really don't know what happened. The first spell was right after he pushed me out of the way. I don't even know what it did, but whatever it was took an immediate toll on him. Then he said some of those…words, my sword pulsed blue for a moment, and he told me to attack, so I did. By the time I looked back, he was already unconscious.

Arthur was silent. He was fairly sure the first spell was somehow linked to that shimmer of gold he'd seen in the air, the one that had blocked the wyrm's attack. Leon obviously hadn't seen it.

He let out a groan of frustration. "But what did he _do?_ I've seen him do spells before. They've never affected him like this!"

Leon resisted the urge to rub his forehead in exasperation. "To be fair, Sire, we can't know that. We don't know _how _magic has affected him in the past."

Arthur let out a sigh, knowing Leon was right. "Fine. Tomorrow, ask him what the hell happened today. You can tell me afterward."

Leon winced again, but hesitated to speak.

Arthur saw the look on his face. "What?" he asked. "Don't pretend you can't find out _very_ easily. I know he trusts you. You could ask him point blank and he'd never suspect you're actually asking for _me._"

Leon hesitated again before at last opening his mouth. "Sire, anything Merlin tells me about magic, he tells me in confidence. You're asking me to betray that trust."

"It's not a betrayal!" Arthur nearly shouted. "How can I help him if I don't _know_ anything?" he demanded.

"Sire, how do you expect to help him even if you _do_ know?"

Arthur's mouth opened and closed like a gaping fish. He didn't have an answer. The truth was, he _wouldn't_ be able to help Merlin. No matter what had happened today, Arthur couldn't help him. No amount of information would change that. But that still didn't change his burning desire to know more. 

"Sire, if you want to know so badly, why don't you just ask him yourself?" Leon asked at last.

Arthur raised his eyebrows. "You know why I can't do that."

"No, I know why you don't _want_ do that, but there's nothing actually stopping you."

"Merlin doesn't _want_ me to know."

"So you think he'd rather you send me to spy on him?"

"I am not having him _spied_ on!" Arthur responded indignantly, but he knew that statement was false. He _was_ having him spied on.

"If you simply told him you knew, you'd be saving the both of you a heck of a lot of trouble," Leon pointed out.

"So you're refusing?" Arthur said at last, voice oddly calm.

Leon hesitated again. This was not something he was particularly well-practiced in. "Yes," he said at last. "I refuse to spy on Merlin for you." Technically, Arthur could have him arrested for this. But they both knew he wouldn't.

"Fine!" Arthur said at last. "If you're not going to tell me then I'll just have to figure it out myself!"

Leon couldn't help but chuckle at that. He doubted Arthur had any idea just how difficult finding Merlin's magical secrets was going to be.

He turned to leave, but a hesitant call from Arthur stopped him.

"Leon…" he turned to face the prince again. "Will you at least tell me if he's all right?"

Leon couldn't help but smile softly. "He's all right, Sire," he assured him. "At least, he said he will be with more rest. And I believe him. I think his magic's working on healing him.

Arthur slowly nodded as Leon took his leave.

.~.

Merlin, stiff, sore, and exhausted, at last made it up to the physician's chambers. Leon had ended up having to support him up the last flight of stairs. But he left him at the door, the both of them knowing quite well that Gaius would tear into Merlin the moment the door was open.

As predicted, Gaius was upon him instantly.

"I saw you arrive in the courtyard. Is everyone all right?"

Merlin gave a heavy sigh as he lowered himself onto the cot. "Sir Onan took a blow to the head, but he's fine, and that's the worst of it."

"How about _you?_ You look terrible."

"Could be worse," he admitted.

"You're shoulder?" Gaius guessed.

Merlin shook his head. "No. Well, not any worse than it usually is."

"Let me take a look anyway." Merlin obediently stripped off his shirt, wincing slightly as he did. An ugly red wound on his right shoulder was exposed, several stitches sown into it on both the front and the back. Gaius examined the wound carefully. Once he had confirmed that it had not reopened and wasn't enflamed, he took the usual salve from the shelf and carefully applied it to the wound, ignoring Merlin's wince.

"So, if it's not your shoulder, what is it?" Gaius asked, switching to his burn salve as he spoke. Merlin took it from him and carefully applied the ointment to the burn on his chest. The burn on his right hand had thankfully already healed.

"I…tried to use that barrier spell..." he admitted sheepishly.

Gaius' eyebrow disappeared into his hairline. "The barrier spell I told you _not_ to practice while you're healing?"

"I _haven't_ been practicing it," Merlin argued. "I've just been…studying." He sighed again. "Maybe that's why it didn't work properly."

"What happened?"

Merlin shrugged. "It only lasted a brief second, and it completely drained me of power. I could have just used a standard shield spell and gotten the same result, with far less energy wasted."

"It's a bad idea to mess with new spells when you're recovering from a magical attack," Gaius pointed out.

"I know, I know." Gaius had already pointed this out many times when Merlin had been cooped up in his room recovering from his "illness." "But no spell's ever drained me like this before." He hesitated, wondering just how much to tell the physician. He certainly didn't want to worry him. But something had gone wrong, and Gaius was the most likely person to know why. "Gaius, it actually _knocked me out_." Gaius's eyebrows shot up in concern. "Only for a little while," he assured him quickly. "But…it didn't just drain me. It _hurt._ It felt like my insides turned to fire and I got hit with a boulder at the same time. I know it's the same spell Anye was using, but she certainly wasn't any stronger than me, and sustaining it did _not_ affect her the same way.

"She also wasn't injured at the time of casting it."

Merlin shook his head, but didn't say anything. If it was just his injuries interfering with the spell, it probably just wouldn't have worked, or would have simply tired him.

Since Anye's attack, Merlin—cooped up in his room and bored to near madness—had decided to do some research into the sustained barriers she had used. Somehow they were different than the basic wards or instant shields that he knew. But try as he might, he could not replicate her results.

Anye must have done something different…he just couldn't figure out what.

"How are you feeling now? Are you in pain at all?"

Merlin shook his head. "No. I'm just…exhausted."

A huge yawn made it past Merlin's defenses.

"Here," Gaius said, placing a bowl of soup in Merlin's hands. "Eat this first, then I'll have you drink a sleeping tonic and off to bed with you. You've put enough strain on your body today. Whatever that spell did to you, it seems to have worn off. But let me know _immediately_ if anything else happens, or any pain returns. And _lay off the magic_ for a while. You'll heal more quickly if you let your magic _help_ your body."

"It's not like I had a choice," Merlin mumbled in protest. But he was indeed exhausted. He barely had the energy to finish his soup, and in the end Gaius just had him lie down on the cot to go to sleep, as Merlin lacked the energy to make his way up the few steps to his own bed. At least he had a full night's rest ahead of him with his unexpected day off.

.~.

Somehow, Arthur knew this was a stupid idea. What was he even expecting to learn? But his curiosity burned. He had to find out more. And now that Leon had refused to be his informant, Arthur had to fall to more traditional means of learning information—like sneaking.

He opened the door confidently. "Merlin?" he asked loudly, just in case anyone was inside, but he needn't have bothered; the physician's chambers were empty, as expected. He knew that Gaius was currently checking up on Sir Onan again, and Merlin had conveniently been sent to repair Arthur's armor and sharpen his sword after the fight with the wyrm as soon as he had cleared the breakfast dishes away that morning.

That didn't stop Arthur from looking around like a misbehaving child afraid of being caught, though.

Hurriedly, Arthur crossed the room and up the steps into Merlin's sleeping quarters.

It looked so…normal. Covers were hanging sloppily off the bed, the few dirty clothes Merlin owned were strewn across the floor, a couple of books lay about, even some loose pages were sticking out.

Where was it?

He closed the door behind him, just in case, before he started kicking at the floorboards between the bed and the cupboard, until he found the loose one. He stood staring at it for several long moments, heart pumping in anticipation, before he at last knelt down and removed the same board he had tripped over during that one earthquake.

There were two items wrapped in some sort of cheap cloth. He pulled the first one out. It was thick, and heavy. A book of some sort. Carefully, he unwrapped it to reveal a very old, leather-bound book. Setting it on the ground, heart pumping even more violently, and knowing exactly what this was, he opened it.

Pages and pages of undecipherable words, strange symbols, and vivid, colorful pictures. Along the text were series of notes written in Merlin's handwriting. Most were in plain, readable English—as readable as Merlin's handwriting could be—but many more notes were in the same language the book was written in. Even the English notes didn't mean anything to him, though, as they were clearly written in response to the unreadable paragraphs in the book.

Page after page, Arthur kept flipping through them, mesmerized by what he was seeing. His eyes drew naturally to the pictures, the only thing his brain could make remote sense of. There were pictures of magical creatures—some he knew they had faced since Merlin came, others he had never seen before—pictures of crystals, people, animals, herbs, weapons, bones, and so many things he couldn't even recognize.

He'd hoped he would find some answers; instead all he found were more questions.

Arthur let out a sigh, knowing that looking through this book wasn't going to get him anywhere. He carefully closed it, rewrapped it in the plain cloth, and replaced it in its hiding place.

The second object was not as immediately recognizable. It was oddly shaped, covered in the same cloth, and rather light. He carefully unwrapped the cloth to reveal a wooden carving of a dragon.

He stared at it in confusion, turning it over in his hands. Was this some sort of magical device?

The sound of a door opening accompanied by a loud sigh made Arthur's head snap up. Someone was home. But they weren't supposed to be back yet! Had Arthur really wasted so much time staring through the book?

Quickly, Arthur rewrapped the dragon and replaced the floorboard, thinking fast. He needed a reason to be here, any reason. At least it didn't sound like whoever it was was coming up to the room. It must be Gaius, judging by the slow, heavy steps.

Except for then, the door opened again and a much quicker step entered.

"What are you doing back so early?" Gaius asked. "Aren't you supposed to be working on Arthur's armor now?"

The color drained from Arthur's face as Merlin's voice responded, "Ya, well…I guess I'm getting a lot quicker at it…"

Arthur could practically hear Gaius frown. "You cheated again, didn't you?" Arthur's eyes narrowed. Cheated?

"No."

"_Merlin._"

"Hey, _you_ told me to be careful not to strain myself."

"I also told you to lay off the magic until you're fully healed."

Any thought of coming out and naming some random excuse fled from Arthur's mind the moment the word magic was mentioned. If they discovered him now, they would know he knew.

Then he bristled as the implication hit him. Merlin cheated at his chores! With _magic!_ No wonder he was so efficient—not that Arthur would ever admit it.

"I'm _fine,_ Gaius. I'm practically back to normal," Arthur nearly jumped when he realized the voice was getting closer. Looking around frantically, he dove under the bed, where the bed covers draping onto the ground offered him some degree of invisibility.

"You could barely stand two days ago," the physician pointed out, just as Merlin's door opened. Arthur could see the bottom of his shoes from his hiding place.

"It was just the new spell," Merlin called over his shoulder, in a voice that suggested they had had this conversation before. "If it had worked properly I'd have been fine," he muttered, quietly enough that Arthur was fairly sure he was the only one who had heard.

Arthur held his breath as Merlin knelt down to pry up the loose floorboard and Arthur could see his face very clearly. If Merlin just turned his head…Arthur would have a lot of explaining to do.

But Merlin just picked up the book and straightened again, sitting down hard on the edge of the bed, boots inches from Arthur's face.

Gaius came up a few moments later. "Still studying?" he asked, seeing Merlin with the book. 

"I don't understand why it didn't work properly for me."

"It's new," Gaius reminded him. "You'll get it with more practice. But _after_ you're fully healed."

Merlin didn't respond, making Arthur guess that he had merely nodded his response. "How's Sir Onan?" Merlin asked instead.

Gaius took a seat next to him, making the bed sag farther down and making Arthur squish himself farther down in nervousness.

"He's got a slight concussion, but he'll be fine with a little rest. He was lucky."

"That's good."

"Now I need to go into town and look in on the carpenter. Are you just going to sit here and study?"

Merlin shifted so he was lying on his bed more comfortably. "You know me, a rising scholar. Study, study, study."

"Keep it up, and your cover as an idiot might just be in danger."

"Don't worry, Arthur will always think me an idiot, and that's enough to convince most anyone."

Arthur winced at the mention of his name.

"Don't forget to come back after lunch to care for your shoulder," Gaius called as he descended the stairs. "And _no magic."_

"Ya, ya," Merlin waved dismissively.

Arthur resigned himself to a long wait time, as it didn't appear that Merlin was leaving anytime soon. He could only hope that Gaius didn't get back before Merlin decided to leave to "finish" the rest of his chores.

**A/N: And there you have it. Hope you are enjoying Arthur's awkward situation as much as I enjoyed writing it. :) Ooo! I can't wait for the next chapter!**

**Toodles!**

**~Syd**


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three

Merlin read the two pages about shield spells for what seemed like the millionth time. He wasn't sure why he read them anymore. It wasn't like they were going to give him any new information. The pages weren't even about this specific spell. He'd only learned _that_ incantation from hearing Anye mutter it when she'd held him and Arthur hostage. But the books in the library wouldn't hold any information, either. They never had any information on _casting_ spells, just breaking them.

He stared thoughtfully at the open doorway.

He shouldn't. He really shouldn't. It had taken him hours to recover the last time…

"Amddiffyn_,_" he muttered, focusing on the open doorway. He could feel the energy leave him, and the air briefly shimmered gold under the doorframe, but he felt remarkably…normal.

He looked around him briefly, but nothing except his pillow was within reach. Instead, he stripped off his shoe. He hesitated for a moment, then gently tossed the shoe into the barrier.

Immediately, Merlin felt like he'd been punched in the gut. He gasped for air as a large amount of energy drained from him, the air shimmering gold again as the shoe struck the barrier he had constructed, before flickering out of existence.

Merlin cursed under his breath, glad he was already on his bed, but lying back in exhaustion. He took deep, steadying breaths as his heartbeat slowly returned to normal.

It hadn't drained him nearly as much as it had with the wyrm, and he didn't feel like his insides were on fire, but it was still cursed tiring and _not_ exactly pleasant.

At least he had found one thing out that was new. It wasn't the _casting_ of the spell that had drained him, it was the attack on the barrier. It had all happened so fast before he hadn't really known _what _had happened.

He could only guess that since the wyrm's strike had been much more…forceful….than the shoe (and much more magical,) that it had drained him more fully. As it was, he could already feel his body recovering this time.

But just the same, he didn't think that repeating that little experiment was such a good idea at the moment. Gaius would already have his head if he'd known his ward had done it even once.

Shakily, he stood up and went to retrieve his shoe, plopping down at the top of the stairs to put it on. He rubbed his hands through his hair, resting for another moment. But he really should get back to his chores. He still had a couple more things to do before retrieving Arthur's lunch.

One of these days, that prat was going to learn just what Merlin put up with for him, and then maybe he'd wash his own stupid laundry.

Merlin carefully replaced the book under the floor and reached for the floorboard to replace it, but he paused with a frown.

The dragon carving was sitting on its side, not upright like he usually kept it. He pulled it out, uncovering it and staring at it in confusion. He hadn't pulled it out in a long time. He must have knocked it over when he pulled the book out.

He traced the curve of the dragon's neck with a finger, looking at it sadly. But he had chores to do, unfortunately, so it, too, went back into its hiding place.

"All right, Arthur," Merlin said out loud. "You'd better appreciate your clean laundry every day for the amount of time it costs me."

Seriously…of all the chores Arthur loaded on top of him, laundry was the one never ending one. Lugging baskets of dirty and clean clothes up and down multiple flights of stairs and down multiple corridors…day after day. It really got old after a while.

With that, he sighed again and went back to work.

.~.

Arthur let out his held breath and let his head thunk to the ground. He nearly

had a heart attack when Merlin muttered his name. He'd thought for sure he'd been discovered.

He waited several treacherous moments once Merlin had left, before he hurled himself out from under the bed and raced out the main room and back towards his own chambers. Only when he was back in his own rooms, pacing around nervously, did his thumping pulse begin to calm.

That had been way too close. That was not an experience Arthur was planning on repeating anytime soon. The prince of Camelot hiding under a bed for close to an _hour_ from a servant. It just wasn't dignified!

But Merlin had done _magic._

When Merlin had muttered those strange words, Arthur had thought he would faint from a combination of fear and excitement. At least he knew what that shimmer he'd seen in the snow was. It must have been the same spell.

And now he knew the reason Merlin had been so weak on the return trip. Arthur had already suspected it was from the magic…but it was different having a suspicion confirmed. Merlin had put himself through all that, all to protect him. Again.

Arthur rubbed his forehead. Why couldn't Merlin just _tell_ him? He'd already told him he trusted "Emrys." What more did he want?

With a groan of frustration, Arthur sat down at his desk in front of the huge stack of paperwork that awaited him. There were a lot of consequences to the wyrm's presence, and Arthur was now a whole hour behind schedule of dealing with them. A whole section of the city's crops had been destroyed, for one. And Arthur had to figure out just how much damage that had caused them. After lunch he would head to the grain house and talk to their grain storage manager. He should probably also check up on Sir Onan. The man _had_ taken a pretty nasty blow to the head.

He had just finished the last of his calculations when Merlin came barreling in.

"Lunch time, Sire!" he announced loudly, clanging the tray down at the opposite end of the table, away from all the paperwork. He looked up and paused. "What the heck happened to you?"

"Merlin, what _are_ you blabbering on about?"

"You're clothes!" Merlin gestured as Arthur stood up to attend to his food. "You're covered in dust." To prove his point, he batted at Arthur's sleeve, the rising dust making Arthur sneeze.

It was only then that Arthur realized that Merlin was right. He _was_ covered in dust. Mostly down his front.

And with growing horror, Arthur realized it must be from hiding under Merlin's bed.

Merlin, oblivious to his master's predicament, just laughed. "You look like you've been crawling around on your belly through some abandoned workroom."

Arthur smacked him round the back of the head. "Don't be an idiot, Merlin. Why would I be crawling around some dusty old room?"

"Well fine, what _were_ you doing then?"

"Well…I hardly think that's any of _your _business, is it, Merlin?"

"It is when I'm the one who has to wash those clothes, _again._"

"It's a matter of state."

"A matter of state," Merlin repeated.

Arthur drew himself up tall. "Yes, a matter of state. And not something I can discuss with a simple servant."

"A matter of state involved you getting dustier than the underside of my bed?"

Arthur stuttered for a moment, the glint in Merlin's eye making him think for a moment that he knew _exactly_ what had happened. But he recovered himself. "It's not _that_ bad," he argued.

"Have you looked in a mirror?"

"No, actually, I haven't had time," Arthur countered quickly. "I've been dealing with all of _this_," he gestured to the crazy piles of paper littered everywhere, "while I've been waiting for _you_ to bring me my lunch! Which, I might add, you're late, again!"

"I wasn't that late!" Merlin argued back. "Only a couple of minutes. Besides, I figured you'd need some extra time…to get all _that_ done."

"Don't be absurd, Merlin, I can handle my own schedule, thank you very much. In the meantime, pull out some extra clothes I can change into. Then you can go off and do…whatever it is that I need you to do. I know there's plenty. I highly doubt you've gotten _all _your chores done for the day."

Merlin rolled his eyes but didn't push any further. Arthur turned his back to Merlin and sat down to eat his lunch, trying not to be too obvious in his relief.

"There. A new set of clothes. Try not to mess these ones up, too."

"Great. Now don't _you _forget to take my dogs out for a walk. They've been cooped up too long, since we haven't been able to go hunting for practically a month. They need some time to run around."

"Yes, Sire," Merlin drawled as he left.

Arthur sat back in his chair and let out a huge breath, looking down at his very dusty clothes. How could he have missed something so _obvious?_

.~.

Arthur's dogs, Merlin decided, were _far_ too excited to be out of their kennels again.

There were only two hunting dogs that strictly belonged to Arthur. Both were greyhounds, and both were quite fond of Merlin. They frolicked around him in excitement, knowing that since he was here, they were going outside again. Their trainer was there, teaching one of the newest pups various verbal cues. He nodded to Merlin briefly before resuming his work, tossing a treat to the pup for successfully sitting on command. Merlin took two leashes down from the rack and hooked them to Arthur's hounds, leading them out of the kennels.

It took a couple strict commands before the dogs retreated to walk obediently at his side as he took them through the city, obviously antsy for him to cut their leash and let them run. Once out of the city, Merlin at last obliged, unhooking their leashes and letting them race across the open field, nipping playfully at each other, chasing random squirrels or hares, and snapping at insects that dare approach them.

Merlin made his own way past the tree line, where he could shelter from the summer's heat under their shade. The dogs would follow soon enough. They knew to keep close to their handler.

It was cursed hot. It would have been better to wait to walk the dogs until the following morning, before the heat set in, but of course Arthur wanted everything done the moment he thought of them.

Merlin wandered deeper into the forest, where the thicker trees overhead gave further relief from the heat. To think that just two days ago he'd been shivering, with numb toes and fingers from traipsing through the snow, all due to that ice wyrm.

Despite the heat, the woods were still quite peaceful. Of all his chores, this was definitely the easiest. He didn't have to do anything but wander around for a bit, while the dogs ran about. There was no Arthur ordering him about, no Gaius telling him not to overwork himself, no other servants to dodge carrying trays or laundry baskets...Sometimes he even practiced a spell or two—particularly spells that Gaius was not particularly keen on him practicing—either in fear of him being caught or in fear of him injuring himself.

Merlin hesitated again, but he'd never figure out how to work that barrier if he didn't practice with it, and it would be an incredibly valuable spell to master—in more ways than one. He'd seen the threat such a spell could pose in the hands of an enemy, and he'd been utterly helpless against it.

"Amddiffyn_," _he said, eyeing the narrow space between two trees. A shimmer of gold and an output of energy told him of his success. Merlin stood back and observed the clear space for a moment. He wasn't too keen on simply chucking something through again. He stepped up and slowly put his hand up to the barrier. With another shimmer of gold, his hand passed straight through, with absolutely zero resistance. He pulled it back, rubbing his fingers together, but there was no tingling sensation, no numbness, nothing out of the ordinary at all.

"Well," he muttered, "I guess _I_ can pass through the barriers." Which made sense. Anye had been able to reach straight past her own barriers, too.

He reached down and picked up a tiny twig. He fingered it for a moment, then took a deep breath and tossed it gently into the barrier.

He could feel the energy leave him, and the air turned gold again, but he didn't feel like he was punched this time. His whole body tingled, but that was the worst of it. So his theory about the degree of force must also be right.

Next he picked up a stone, about the size of his fist. He hesitated again, not looking forward to this. But he had an idea. He took another deep breath, preparing himself. Carefully, he tossed the stone into the barrier. At the same time, he pushed an extra burst of energy into the shield, strengthening it.

The result was to put Merlin on the ground, once again gasping for air. His entire body ached.

So much for that idea. If anything, he'd made it worse.

He lay there for a long while, not wanting to move.

A rustle in the brush made him snap his head to the side, but it was just Blake, the younger of the two hounds, who came ambling up to him, sniffing his face in concern.

Merlin laughed and managed to push the brute out of his face. "I'm all right," he assured the dog. Blyton soon came into view as well. Merlin scratched Blake behind the ear before letting his arm drop to his side. He really didn't want to move.

"That spell can kill you if you're not careful."

Merlin sat up in an instant with a gasp. Quickly as his protesting body allowed him, he was on his feet.

"I'm impressed," the woman said calmly. "Not many people could stand so soon after a stunt like that."

Merlin stared at the small woman in silence, chest still heaving his heavy breaths.

"Hello Merlin," she said after several moments of staring. "I see you've healed nicely."

"Anye," Merlin muttered.

**A/N: Uh oh. SHE'S BACK! What does Little Miss Anye want? **

**Is it odd that the most difficult thing about writing this chapter was naming the dogs? I hate naming things. But oh well. Next chapter underway! Thanks again to everyone who's following this story!**

**~Syd**


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four

"What are you doing here, Anye?"

"Sit," she ordered, taking her own advice as well. "You can't exactly be comfortable right now."

Merlin hesitated, but his protesting body won out in the end, and he shakily sat across from her, keeping a wary eye on the hopefully-former evil sorceress. Blake came and lay down next to him, panting loudly. Blyton wandered over and sniffed their visitor curiously. He was a hunting dog—he was trained to chase rabbits and deer, not to be suspicious of people.

Anye casually scratched him behind the ears, making his tail wag in excitement and he settled down next to her.

"So you're trying to copy my spell, huh?" she asked. "You're not the only one who's tried."

Merlin remained silent, studying her.

"Be careful," Anye advised.

"What's so dangerous about it?" he asked at last.

Anye smiled. "You felt what happened with a simple stone. What do you think would happen against a real attack? What about a magical attack?"

Merlin's eyes narrowed. It made complete sense, except he'd already done that. "I used it against an ice wyrm," he answered. "It knocked me out for a bit, but nothing life threatening."

Anye's eyebrows rose. "I suppose I really shouldn't be surprised. I already knew you were stronger than most. Most people would be dead after something like that."

Merlin's eyes opened like saucers. Surely it hadn't been _that_ dangerous! "But _why?_" he demanded. "_You_ used the same spell and it didn't effect _you_ the same way."

Anye couldn't help but grin. "I told you, shields are my specialty," she said cryptically.

Merlin groaned in frustration. She was as bad as Kilgarrah! But did he really expect her to be more helpful than that? She _had,_ after all, tried to kill them all using the same spell.

"But it's _the same spell,"_ he protested.

Anye studied the Blyton, scratching his head, her jaw set as she thought.

"You said you would trust me," Merlin pushed, "that you'd wait for me to bring magic back. Well I can't do that if I accidentally get myself killed. And I _will_ use this spell if I need it to protect Arthur, regardless of what it will do to me. I already used it once and they had to carry me back to Camelot because of it."

She pursed her lips, then sighed in defeat. "What have you figured out so far?" she asked.

"Only that the stronger the attack on the barrier, the stronger the effect on me."

She nodded her affirmation. "Any sort of sustained spell has to have some sort of magical anchor to keep the spell active," she began.

"Like your earthquake spell."

"Yes."

"So I need to create an anchor for the spell?" 

She shook her head. "You're already using an anchor."

"No I'm not," he countered, confused.

"Anchors don't have to be crystals, or runes," she explained. "Anything with any sort of magical properties can be used as an anchor, including—"

"People," Merlin interrupted, as it finally clicked. "I've been using _myself._"

He should have realized that. He already _knew_ people could be used as spell anchors. That's exactly what had happened with Morgana, after all. The dragon had used a different word…he'd called her a _vessel_ for the spell. But it amounted to the same thing.

"So…so I just need to anchor the barrier to something else. Then the shields will stay in place, and I won't take the brunt of the attack. Something…like a crystal."

Anye hesitated slowly, and Merlin knew there was something else she did. Something specific that made her shields work the way they did, something she did _not _want to tell him. But she'd already told him this much, and he could see in her eyes that she would tell him the rest.

Finally, she continued. "Merlin, what do you think is more powerful, a crystal, like I used for my earthquake spell, or _you?_"

That wasn't a hard question. He had, after all, destroyed her crystal. "Me."

"And if _you_ can't sustain a barrier against an attack without collapsing, what makes you think a crystal could bare the damage?" Merlin frowned. "If the anchor isn't strong enough to last against whatever it's blocking, the barrier _will_ break. And whoever your protecting will probably end up dead."

"So…not a crystal then. Something more difficult to break. A rune?"

She shook her head. "Runes are used for enhancing or channeling energy, so it sort of acts as an anchor, but it's really no good in sustaining a spell by itself."

"That's why you had to use a crystal _and_ a rune," Merlin concluded. "But…what do you use, then?"

Anye raised her eyebrows at him, staring pointedly, but didn't answer.

Suddenly, the greyhound Merlin was petting sprang to his feet, hackles up before he tore off after a hare that had dared make an appearance. Merlin watched as the hare escaped into its burrow and the dog angrily began digging.

Merlin's jaw dropped as realization hit him. "Of course," he muttered. The trees, the rivers, the stones, the soil—all hummed with a magic as natural as his own, or Kilgarrahs. "You use the earth."

"Use the earth as an anchor, and there are very few things that can break whatever barrier you set up."

"_Nothing_ could break through," Merlin countered. No magic could ever possibly be stronger.

Anye was silent another long moment. "Some things can," she said at last. "But that I will not tell you. No sense telling you just how to defeat my strongest weapon."

Merlin's eyes narrowed. "I shouldn't have to defeat it," he said calmly.

She shrugged. "I told you, if Arthur manages to screw everything up after all, I'll come back and finish what I started." She paused, and to Merlin's utter confusion, she gave the oddest little half-grin. "Though, from what I've seen, I don't think that will be necessary." That grin said to Merlin quite clearly, _I know something you don't know._

"What do you mean?" he asked.

She shrugged again, clearly amused by something. "Nothing. I've just been keeping an eye on Camelot since I left, and I happen to like what I've seen."

Merlin eyed her suspiciously. But for some reason, he wasn't concerned. He felt like for once, he finally had an ally in the magical community, even if she _didn't_ tell him everything.

"Why are you here?" he asked again, realizing he'd never received an answer the first time.

Anye's grin faded, and her eyes hardened. "I'm here because I have news for you," was her answer. Merlin did not like the sound of that.

"What news?"

"An army prepares to march against Camelot."

Merlin gaped, then jumped to his feet, only to topple over again. His body was still protesting his earlier stunt. He took a moment to regain his senses. "What army?" he asked at last. "How many? When will they be here?"

"An army of sorcerers."

Merlin's hissed an intake of breath. "How many?" he managed to get out. 

"Close to twenty, from what I hear."

Twenty sorcerers marching against Camelot. That was _not_ good. "How powerful are they?"

"Various degrees, but powerful enough to put Camelot in some serious jeopardy. I do not know who all of them are, but their leader…I don't know how he would compare to you, but I would never stand a chance against him, and there are few who could."

He had to warn Arthur!

Except, he couldn't. How would Merlin not-Emrys know about an army of sorcerers bent on Camelot's destruction? He wouldn't.

Merlin would have to come up with something.

Carefully this time, Merlin regained his feet, his legs shaking slightly at first, but holding his weight. Anye stood as well, and after a moment of watching him, rolled her eyes and took his hand in hers. A flash of gold eyes later and Merlin felt a large portion of his strength return.

Merlin smiled his gratitude, but then his smile faltered. "When will they be here?" he asked.

"I'm not sure," Anye admitted. "But I will try to find out."

He nodded. "Thank you."

He whistled, and Blake reluctantly abandoned his search for the bunny and returned to his side.

"I will contact you if I find out more," Anye informed him. Merlin nodded, and began the walk back to the castle. He paused, however, and looked back at her.

"Why did you tell me this?" he asked. She didn't have to be here. She didn't have to warn him. But she had.

She looked at him sadly. "Because this is my fault," was all she said. Then she was gone, teleported away just like she had two weeks ago, leaving Merlin with far more questions than answers.

.~.

It was an hour or so before sunset by the time Merlin returned the dogs to the kennel, both of them trying heartily to lick his face before he could stand up from unhooking their leashes. It looked like he wasn't going to have time clean Arthur's chambers before the prince would be back for dinner. He'd have to straighten up while the prat ate.

Unless…with a quick touch or two of magic he could get the room clean in time. Then he could only cross his fingers and hope that Arthur didn't have a mountain load of chores for him to do this evening. He had more important things to worry about.

Such as how the heck he was supposed to stop an army of sorcerers from destroying them all.

And he'd thought stopping the earthquakes had been difficult.

After giving each of the dogs a special treat for good behavior, Merlin made his way back to the castle, feet moving slowly and brain scrambling for ideas, but nothing came to him. There really wasn't much he could do this time. He'd face them when they came, but until then?

He was so lost in his thoughts, staring at the ground as he walked, that he didn't see Arthur coming down the corridor in his direction

The prince, realizing his manservant was completely oblivious, felt a mischievous smile tucking at the corner of his lips. He ducked into an alcove and waited for Merlin to pass, waiting to ambush him.

The moments passed, but no dark-haired man came into view. At last, Arthur frowned and stuck his head out of his hiding place.

"Merlin!" he said at last. The servant had stopped in the middle of the hallway and was staring at the ground, but at the sound of his name he gave a start and looked up out of his reverie. "What's the _matter_ with you? Are you that much of an idiot that you've forgotten how to walk?"

Merlin stared blankly for a moment, and then seemed to realize that he had, indeed, stopped in the middle of the hallway for no apparent reason. "Oh." Then he bristled, "Hey!"

Arthur fought back a grin and only partially succeeded. "So is there a particular reason you've been standing around like a statue?"

Merlin glared. "I was thinking," he said defensively.

"Ah, that explains it. It must be pretty difficult for you to think and walk at the same time."

Merlin continued to glare, but the corner of his mouth tucked up in return. "Well at least I _can_ think," he retorted, and made his way past Arthur.

"There could be some debate about that."

Merlin just kept walking, and the first bubble of concern worked its way into Arthur's gut. It wasn't like Merlin to let Arthur get the last word that easily. He grabbed Merlin's arm before he could stop himself. "What's wrong?" he asked.

Merlin's eyes widened slightly, apparently surprised that Arthur had noticed anything. He recovered quickly, though. "Are you actually _worried_ about me, Arthur?" he asked.

Arthur rolled his eyes, letting go. "Don't be stupid. You're just acting even weirder than usual."

"Sounds like worry to me."

"Nope, don't think so."

"You sure?"

"Yup."

"Because I'm not convinced."

"Well _I'm _not convinced you're not trying to change the subject."

Merlin winced just slightly, which confirmed Arthur's suspicions. Somethingreally was wrong.

"I'm fine Arthur," he said casually. "Though I'm _touched_ by your concern."

It was Arthur's turn to glare. "You know Merlin," he said slowly, "I do not appreciate it when people lie to me."

The corner of Merlin's eyes drooped the tiniest fraction, and Arthur had to restrain himself from slapping his forehead in response to his own stupidity. He should not be saying things like that to Merlin.

Merlin barely missed a beat, though. "Well then it's a good thing I'm such a sweet, honest person, isn't it?" he held up his hands to frame his face.

And Arthur realized he couldn't push the subject, not without accusing Merlin of more lies, and that is something he would not do. The last thing he wanted was for Merlin to bottle up even more than he already did.

He rolled his eyes again, this time much more theatrically. "You? Sweet? Don't make me laugh." And he walked away, thoughts turning. Something was up, and he needed to find out what. If it was something serious, Merlin would need help.

It was time to have another word with Leon.

**A/N: I love worried!Arthur. Have I mentioned that? I think that's one reason I'm having so much fun with this series, because I've gotten to include plenty of his adorable worried-ness.**

**Thanks again for reading! As always, reviews are loved. :)**

**~Syd**


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter Five

"Sire, I already told you I am not going to spy on Merlin for you."

"I'm not asking you to spy!" Arthur nearly shouted. He began to pace around Leon's quarters. Arthur felt like this conversation was oddly similar to their previous one. But this time, he really _did _have a legitimate reason to be asking.

"Ok, not spy," Leon consented. "What would you call it then, for me to go to Merlin—at your suggestion—ask him what's bothering him, make him answer, and then report back to you whatever magical mischief he's landed himself in?"

"It's…well I'd call it…It's—"

Leon waited patiently, before Arthur let out a groan and ran his hand through his hair. "Ok fine! I want you to spy on Merlin for me. Just this once!"

"I'm sorry, Sire, I can't."

Arthur forced himself to count to three before responding for fear of blowing up.

By the time he reached three, he really had to admit that Leon had a point. It had only been a day since Leon announced his refusal to spy, and Arthur was already asking for an exception? If he were Leon, he wouldn't agree either.

But the bubble of worry since meeting Merlin in the hallway had not gone away. It might be nothing, it might be some trivial little problem. Even the smallest ounce of magic's involvement would understandably make Merlin twitchy about discussing it with Arthur, it didn't have to be anything significantly dangerous.

But what if it was? Arthur wasn't willing to take that risk.

"Leon, what if he needs help?"

"Merlin's proven himself to be more than capable of taking care of himself," Leon pointed out.

"But he's not invincible," Arthur countered. "You're the one who had to help Gaius get him back on his feet. You _know_ that if hadn't been for you two, he'd be dead right now."

"Look, he knows he has Gaius and me behind him. If he's really in trouble, I'm sure he'll ask."

"Are you?" Arthur asked incredulously.

Leon frowned as he suddenly remembered just how un-Merlin-like asking for help would be. He looked out the window, thinking. "Ok," he said at last. "I'll talk to him. But _I_ will decide if you need to know what's going on. Will that satisfy you?"

"Yes!" Arthur said immediately. "Yes. That's…all I can ask for." As long as someone was checking up on this, as long as _someone_ would make sure Merlin wasn't caught up in some dangerous magical problem, he'd have to be content.

"And you won't press for an answer if I decide the matter does not concern you?"

Arthur knew better than to agree to that. "I'll definitely press for an answer," he admitted. "But I give you firm permission to ignore me."

Leon smiled, and nodded. "Good enough for me. I'll talk to him tomorrow."

Arthur walked away feeling slightly better. At least now he knew that _someone_ would be helping Merlin, even if it wasn't going to be him. He could only sit back and hope that whatever was on the warlock's mind was not terribly serious.

In the meantime, this sneaking around, pretending _not_ to know was already getting ridiculous. Maybe it was time to give Merlin another nudge of encouragement in regards to this whole magic business.

He listened to the bell chime in the distance, telling him the hour. Due to his impromptu conversation with Leon, Arthur hadn't had time to run through some personal sword training exercises like he'd planned. He supposed he still could, but he really wouldn't be able to do much before it got dark, _and _he'd be late to dinner.

Not that it would matter. Merlin was always late with dinner anyways.

But Arthur really wasn't in the mood to train. He really wanted to talk to Merlin. So he simply headed to his chambers a bit early.

When he opened the door, an immediate crash and splash made his head whip up. He met Merlin's momentarily wide eyes before the servant planted yet another hasty, albeit sheepish, grin on his face and quickly made his way from the fireplace to the opposite side of the bed.

It was then Arthur saw the pitcher on the ground that he was heading to, and the large pile of water quickly spreading over the floor.

"_Merlin!"_

"Yes, Sire?" Merlin asked innocently, as if there was nothing out of the ordinary. He quickly pulled out some cleaning cloths that were kept stacked away in the corner cupboard and set to work mopping up the water.

"Dare I ask _what_ you are doing?"

"Me? Nothing much, why do you ask?"

And suddenly Arthur was transported back to the many instances he'd walked in on equally odd occurrences, only to demand an answer and be fed some ridiculous excuse that Arthur had no choice but to accept. For who in their right mind would think up such ridiculous excuses and expect people to swallow them unless they were true?

But now, he had a new perspective.

Walking in to see Merlin on one side of the room, and a pitcher of water on the other that had conveniently crashed right after he, Arthur, entered the room, raised a flag in Arthur's new magical observational skills.

More out of curiosity at what ludicrous explanation Merlin would come up with than anything else, Arthur had to ask. "Because it appears that you just _chucked_ a pitcher of water across the room."

"Oh, that," there was the briefest pause. "There was a spider."

Arthur blinked slowly. "A spider," he repeated.

"Yes," Merlin insisted. "Big one, too."

"So…you chucked the water pitcher at it."

"It was fast!" Merlin protested. "I didn't want it to get away before I could reach it and kill it!"

Slowly, Arthur walked over to where Merlin was now mopping up the water, and picked up the dripping water pitcher, examining it closely for a squished spider.

"So where is it?"

"Where is what?"

Arthur rolled his eyes. "The _spider_, Merlin." Honestly. Had Arthur really _accepted_ these horrendous excuses before?

"Oh, it um…It got away. Apparently throwing pitchers of water doesn't work very well for killing fast spiders. Who knew?"

Arthur briefly wondered if Merlin ever used magic on him to make him more gullible. Yes, Arthur decided, that must be it.

"I see you managed to keep these clothes dust-free," Merlin commented slyly as he stood up.

Arthur blanched, but recovered quickly. He casually took the cleaning cloths from Merlin, held them up, and wrung them out over Merlin's head.

Merlin just stood there and took it. He cracked an eye open to make sure it was safe, and promptly received a faceful of wet cloth.

Arthur turned and sat down heavily in front of his dinner.

It wasn't until halfway done with his meal that Arthur realized how successfully Merlin had managed to change the subject.

While he ate, he kept a subtle eye on Merlin, who scampered around the room, finishing cleaning things up. But he waited until his meal was finished to breach his next topic of conversation.

Finally, Arthur pushed his plate away and leaned back in his chair. Merlin remained oblivious to the very careful conversation that was about to take place, hair still dripping down his neck from Arthur's previous stunt.

"We haven't heard anything from Emrys in a while," he commented casually, careful to stare off into space and not at Merlin.

Merlin nearly dropped the vase he'd been dusting.

"You haven't mentioned him in a while."

Arthur turned his attention back to his servant. "Do you think he's all right? After Anye's attack? He was hurt pretty badly."

Merlin smiled softly. "I'm sure he's fine, Arthur. Hey, he managed to elude all the knights sent after him, didn't he? The injury couldn't have been that bad. Maybe he healed it…or something."

"Maybe," Arthur consented. He waited for a while, trying to keep his eyes from twinkling in amusement. "Have you made any progress in figuring out who he is?" he asked at last.

Merlin's jaw dropped slightly, and he stuttered a response. "W—I thought…"

Arthur frowned. "You have been looking for him, haven't you? I did ask you to search for him, after all."

"Well…yes, but…um."

"_Merlin, _are you just completely useless?"

"Hey! You didn't have any luck finding him, either," Merlin pointed out grumpily.

"No, but as _you_ pointed out, _I _can't be seen looking for him. Too many people pay attention to me."

Merlin paused. "So…do you want me to keep looking for him?" he asked hesitantly.

Arthur turned his back to Merlin for a moment to hide his unrestrainable grin, feigning looking for something in his cupboard, he turned back a moment later.

"No."

Merlin stuttered again. "No?"

"You heard me, no."

Stunned silence met his words. "You don't want to know?" he finally asked.

"Don't be stupid Merlin, of course I want to know."

"Then why—"

"Emyrs has made it clear he doesn't want to be found," he told Merlin seriously, hoping he would take his words to heart. "After everything he's done for me…the least I can do is respect that."

"So…so you're just going to wait? How long?"

"As long as it takes," was the immediate answer. "One day, I hope Emrys will realize he can trust me."

"He _does_ trust you, Arthur," Merlin responded, probably a little too quickly, for he quickly amended, "he wouldn't serve you if he didn't."

"Then why won't he tell me who he is?" Arthur insisted, watching Merlin very carefully.

Merlin hesitated, obviously wondering how much he should say, and possibly wondering what the answer really was. "Maybe _he's_ not ready," he answered at last. "Whoever Emrys is, he must be used to living in the shadows. Maybe he's just not ready to move into the open, yet."

Arthur turned the words over in his head, still watching Merlin fidget uncomfortably in front of him.

"Well," he said at last, "in any case, I certainly haven't made that trust easy for him. I can hardly blame him for wanting to stay in the shadows, no matter what the reason."

There was another long moment's pause. "You really do trust him, don't you?"

"Yes," Arthur said firmly. He'd said it before, but for some reason it seemed to have a hard time getting through Merlin's thick skull. At his answer, Merlin smiled softly. "What are _you_ so happy about?" he asked, trying not to smile, himself.

Merlin shrugged. "It's just…good to see you forming your own opinions," he admitted. "Instead of just following your fathers."

A new idea intruded on Arthur's brain. "Merlin, what do _you_ think about Emrys?" he asked randomly, watching in amusement as Merlin once again began to squirm. Obviously, Arthur knew very well what Merlin thought about Emrys,

"About Emrys?"

"About Emrys, about magic, about all of this."

Merlin shrugged, face carefully blank. "You trust him," Merlin pointed out. "And I trust you."

"Well I'm _flattered_ by your confidence in me," Arthur answered, but he grew serious. "But you've disagreed with me before, so I know you don't think I'm right about _everything._ So why this? You didn't seem too sure he was going to come rescue us when Anye caught us."

"Well…he came, though, didn't he? He saved us. And he saved you before, too, with Candun. If he really is out to destroy Camelot, he's rather incompetent at it, don't you think?"

Arthur smirked. "Maybe he's incompetent at a lot of things…"

Merlin's face paled slightly. "What do you mean?"

Arthur shrugged innocently. "Nothing, just speculating. So you trust him, too, then?" he asked finally.

"Yes," Merlin said at last. "I think I do."

Arthur grinned. "Good. Because I'd hate to think I'd have to hide him from you one day."

Merlin's own eyes sparkled in amusement this time.

**A/N: I know this chapter's a bit shorter than the others, so far. It was intentional, though. I felt these two scenes, particularly the last, needed to stand alone. Forgive me?**


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: I'm glad you guys like the spider scene so much. I had a LOT of fun writing that one. :) Onto chapter six!**

Chapter Six

Merlin winced as Arthur's opponent hit the ground, sword flying from his grasp. That man was going to have some bruises tonight. All the knights had paired off to do some sparring. Merlin remained at his place beside the fence in case Arthur needed him for anything. At least the prat hadn't made him "spar" with him for the last couple of weeks. Maybe he'd finally realized that he wouldn't improve much by using Merlin as a practice dummy.

He fought back a yawn. He had slept rather poorly the previous night. He'd told Gaius about meeting Anye, and about the coming sorcerers, but Gaius had agreed with him. There really wasn't much they could do for now. They just had to wait. Hopefully Anye would be able to tell them more about this new threat.

Following that conversation had come a fitful night of sleep.

He actually began to nod off a bit as he waited, standing at the fence. He only snapped back awake as a voice shouted right in his ear. "Merlin!"

Merlin jumped and his eyes flew open. He only barely managed not to topple over.

Arthur stood in front of him. At least he didn't look particularly annoyed that his servant had fallen asleep. That was a stroke of luck. Well, easily beating his sparring partners did tend to put him in a good mood. "Good morning, sunshine," he said, falsely pleasantly. "Did you have a nice nap?"

Merlin grimaced. "Sorry," he muttered. "Didn't sleep well last night."

"Well, you're in luck. We just finished, so now you get to move all the equipment back into storage. Think that will wake you up?"

Merlin fought back a sigh. "Yes, Sire," he drawled sarcastically.

"Actually," Sir Leon interrupted. "I'm sorry, Sire, but Gaius caught me before training. Asked me if I could send Merlin back right afterwards. He needs his help for something or other."

"Of course," Arthur said quickly. Merlin's eyes narrowed in slight suspicion. Arthur was never that agreeable that quickly… "Merlin, go check in with Gaius. I'll get someone else to clear this up."

Merlin shrugged and turned towards the castle, fighting a yawn. Leon soon caught up with him. "I'll walk with you," he said. "I need to go see Gaius, too."

It wasn't until they were in the castle that Leon instead opened a door to an empty room and pulled Merlin inside, Merlin frowning in confusion.

"What's wrong?" he asked once the door was closed.

"I was going to ask you that," Leon answered. "You don't usually fall asleep on the job. Is everything all right?"

Merlin sighed. "Gaius doesn't really need my help, does he?" Leon mutely shook his head. "I'm fine, really. Just tired. Like I told Arthur, I didn't sleep well last night."

"He's worried about you, you know."

"Who? Arthur?"

Leon nodded. "Of course you know he'd never admit it. But I've known him a long time, I can tell when something's irking him. So tell me, what's wrong?"

"Nothing," Merlin repeated, shrugging off the hand Leon had placed on his shoulder. "Really, I'm fine."

"Is it your shoulder?" Leon guessed.

Merlin unconsciously reached up and gripped his injured shoulder. "No, it's been doing much better."

"What about that spell? The one that went wrong." Merlin had told him why he'd collapsed after the attack on the wyrm. "Is it still affecting you?"

"I told you, I'm fine," he insisted, growing slightly irritated.

And Leon realized that Arthur had been right. Something _was_ bothering Merlin. When asked point blank, the boy was not very good at hiding things. "Merlin," he said carefully, "this is me. You know you can tell me. I don't even think you're _capable _of surprising me anymore."

The irritation fled from Merlin, to be replaced with a twinge of guild. But he still hesitated. _You have no idea…_he thought. He knew very well that there was still a significant amount of information Leon did not know. He knew he was Emrys, for instance, but he had no idea what that meant. He didn't know about the prophecies, or Albion. He didn't know Merlin was a dragonlord. And he had no idea that he was sort of on speaking terms with their previous magical enemy…Not that Merlin really understood that, either.

But, Merlin realized, Arthur really needed to know. Maybe Leon could find a way to tell him that wouldn't lead things back to him.

"Camelot may be in trouble," he said at last. Leon's eyes hardened at the seriousness and he nodded, silently inviting Merlin to continue. "A…friend…came and warned me. A group of sorcerers is planning on attacking Camelot."

Leon's eyes widened, then narrowed again as his brain raced. Merlin knew the feeling. He'd done much the same thing.

"How many? When are they coming?"

"About twenty, and I don't know. The person who warned me is trying to find out more."

"And you trust this person?"

Merlin hesitated. "Trust…is a strong word," he said at last. "But she has no reason to lie. And I don't think she means any harm to us."

"Who is she?" Leon asked. "A druid?"

Merlin hesitated again. He wasn't particularly keen on telling Leon that Anye was his informant. He wasn't sure _how_ the knight would react. He was silent long enough, that Leon guessed a certain problem with this conversation.

"I know her, don't I?"

Merlin winced. "She's not a citizen of Camelot," he said at last. "But…you know who she is."

"And I'm guessing she's someone I would not be particularly inclined to trust?" It was a fair guess, seeing as most non-Camelot magicians that they came into contact with ended up attacking them.

"She attacked us once," Merlin finally admitted, knowing he had to give Leon something. "But…she left of her own accord, and she's decided she was wrong to attack us."

"Merlin, you said yourself you don't fully trust her. Don't you think it's best for us _both_ to be keeping an eye out for her? Just in case?"

Merlin sighed, knowing he was right. "Anye," he muttered. 

Leon's eyes widened again. It seemed that Merlin _could_ still surprise him. "As in the sorceress who attacked you and Arthur just two weeks ago Anye?"

Merlin fully expected Leon to blow up. He knew Arthur would have. But he took it fairly well, just paused in contemplation. "And you think she's telling the truth."

"I do. Like I said, she's got no reason to lie."

"It could be a diversion," he pointed out. "Make us focus on an imaginary army so we don't notice the real threat."

Merlin turned that over in his head, but they just didn't make sense to him given everything that had happened. He shook his head slowly. "She's had several opportunities to kill me if she wanted to," he answered, thinking of both the time in the stables and the more recent meeting in the forest. Both times he had been weakened. "And that honestly would have been the smartest thing to do before attacking us."

"Did she have opportunities to kill _Merlin,_ or to kill Emrys?"

Merlin winced. "Um…she doesn't really need to make that distinction."

"She knows who you are?" Leon asked incredulously. That was some dangerous information in the hands of a dangerous woman.

He winced again. "Yes," he admitted. "She figured it out after she left. I've met her twice since then."

Leon rubbed his forehead to ward off a coming headache. "Why'd she warn you?"

"Because she left Camelot in my care," he answered. "We have the same goal in mind. Neither of us want magic to be persecuted anymore."

"And she trusts you to bring it back?"

"That's what she said."

"And you believe her?"

Merlin nodded slowly. "I do."

Leon sighed heavily. "Never thought she'd turn into an ally," he said. "Let's just hope she really is on our side. So what's the plan?"

He mutely shook his head. "I don't know. Except…"

"Except what?"

"Arthur should know. But I can't tell him."

Leon nodded his agreement. "I'll talk to him. I'll come up with a reason for knowing about the attack. You said that Anye is trying to find out more information? How?"

"I don't know. She just said she'd contact me when she knew more."

"All right. I'll deal with Arthur. You deal with Anye."

Immediately after parting ways, Leon went to find Arthur. When he didn't find the prince in his chambers, he next went to the training fields again. Maybe Arthur had stayed for some personal training after dismissing the others.

He found him there, sword in hand, doing some of his individual exercises. When Arthur caught sight of him, he had to restrain himself from running up and demanding an answer. Instead, he walked into the now empty armory, Leon following.

"Well?" Arthur asked almost immediately.

"You were right to be concerned," Leon answered. Arthur tensed, worry gnawing at the pit of his stomach, and he waited for Leon to continue. "He's received word from…an ally, about a coming attack."

Arthur's breath caught in his throat. "Magical attack?" he asked needlessly. Leon nodded.

"Twenty or so sorcerers. We don't know when they're going to attack. Merlin's source is trying to find out."

"Who's the source?" Arthur asked.

Leon shook his head. "That I will not tell you. Though I will tell you she is not from Camelot."

Arthur nodded his acceptance. He didn't need to know how Merlin had learned of this.

"No wonder he's been distracted," Arthur muttered. "Does he have a plan?"

"Right now he's waiting for more information. I think that's all he can do at the moment."

Arthur thought over this new information for a long moment, before at last asking the question burning on his mind. "Do you think he could take them?"

"I don't know," Leon answered truthfully, with a shrug. "But I think it would be unfair to expect him to face twenty magical warriors on his own."

"Agreed."

"So what do you want to do?"

Arthur continued to think. He could inform his father. They could raise their defenses. Merlin wouldn't have to face them alone. He'd have an entire army on his side this time.

But, then Merlin would have to work in secret, if other people were involved.

He'd have to work in secret anyways, seeing as Arthur was still supposedly oblivious. And in the two and a half weeks that had passed since Anye fled, Arthur had never been so frustrated with the situation he had willing placed himself in.

Would it be better to tell Merlin the truth? It was one thing to respect Merlin's wishes, but if keeping this secret would put Merlin in danger by not allowing him to fight openly, that was anther matter entirely.

No. He sill couldn't fight openly. One extra person's knowledge was not going to make a difference. No matter what, Merlin was going to have to work in secrecy.

So the biggest decision now, was whether or not to tell Uther.

"As much as I hate it," Arthur answered after a long silence, "we wait."

"Should we inform the king?"

Arthur shook his head. "No. We need more information before bringing this to him. A vague rumor of sorcerers attacking at some unknown time in the future? He'd fly into a blind rage, and you know it. We'll wait until we know more. And by then, maybe we'll know if it will be better to raise the army, or to let Merlin do his work."

"You're thinking of sending him in alone?" Leon asked incredulously.

Arthur shook his head firmly. "He's not alone anymore," he reminded Leon firmly. "But if we tell my father, the whole kingdom will be on high alert for any sign of magic. We'd tie Merlin's hands even more than they're already tied."

"So we wait?"

Arthur nodded. "We wait."

He hated waiting.

**A/N: Next chapter there will be some significant NOT-waiting. Bet everyone (readers and characters alike) will be happy to know that. :) See y'all soon for the next chapter!**


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter Seven

Twigs and leaves crunched under her foot as she walked through the trees. She'd been wandering for several hours, but she knew she was close. She could sense the magic humming in the air.

Sure enough, she soon stopped and stood still. She slowly reached up and lowered her hood. Someone here was bound to recognize her.

"You can come out."

At first, there was no movement, but slowly rustling came from all around her as half a dozen people stepped out from their hiding places. One man stepped toward her. "Anye," he greeted. She didn't know him.

"I'm here to see Kallen."

"Come with me, then." The man turned and led the way through the trees. One other man walked forward as well, the others melted back into the trees.

Anye followed silently. She didn't know any of these people. She didn't know where they stood or what they were capable of. The thought did not encourage her. But they would not harm her. Not as long as they really were loyal to Kallen.

They led her through several more miles of forest, then into a cave and through a series of tunnels. They left her in a type of chamber. It wasn't furnished, but someone had manipulated the stone to change its shape, offering several places to sit. Anye remained standing.

It wasn't long until a familiar, pointed face, framed with dark brown hair and a short beard, joined her.

"Anye," Kallen greeted warmly. "I am glad you came back."

Anye felt a now familiar ache in her heart. She had lost so many loved ones, both friends and family. Now, Kallen was the only friend she had left, but a wall had grown between them. She knew what he intended, and she knew she could not help him do it.

"I have not changed my mind," she informed him. She could feel the disappointment leak from him at her words. He had hoped she had come back to join them. "I will not help you destroy Camelot."

Kallen stepped forward, studying her face. "I do not understand you, Anye," he answered after his long contemplation. "Just two weeks ago, _you_ were the one charging in to attack."

"And if you recall, _you_ were the one warning me not to. Strange how so much can change in such a short time, isn't it?"

"That was before I knew that Emrys had turned on us."

Anye's eyes saddened. When she had come back, asking Kallen's forgiveness for her rash actions and telling him what she had learned, she could never have foreseen his reaction. She had told him how her earthquakes had been foiled, and that she had battled the person responsible, a warlock named Emrys.

As she spoke, she hadn't noticed Kallen's questions becoming fewer, or his answers becoming shorter. She had been too busy sorting through her own emotions.

She'd wanted Kallen to make sense of what had happened. She'd been hoping he would approve of her decision to leave Camelot at peace. After all, he'd made his opinion of her attacking Camelot quite clear before she had angrily left on her own.

What she got instead, was a deep, seething anger radiating from the druid by the time she finished her story.

Anye hadn't understood. She'd never heard of Emrys, but Kallen had. And the fact that Emrys was in Camelot, protecting the Pendragons, had angered him. The same realization that had softened Anye's heart had hardened his.

"Emrys hopes for magic's return, just as you and I do."

Kallen shook his head. "No," he said firmly, anger inching into his voice. "Emrys is not supposed to _hope_ and _wait._ Emrys is supposed to _fight_. He is supposed to _lead_ us."

"But _why?_" Anye demanded at last. He'd said similar things before, and she'd gathered that something about Emrys had been foretold, but she just didn't understand. "_Why_ must he fight? You told me that we shouldn't fight. That we should wait and let destiny play out as it would. Why shouldn't Emrys do the same?"

"Emrys is not supposed to be a subject of destiny, he is supposed to be an _agent_ of destiny. Destiny and fate act through him."

"I don't understand."

"No, you don't," Kallen agreed. "Because you're not a true druid, you don't know the prophecies."

"No," she spat, "I'm not a druid. So maybe you should _explain_ it to me."

"We are not supposed to speak of the prophecies to outsiders."

Anye bristled. "And you consider me an outsider?" she hissed. "After the months I spent with your people? Aglain told my family we were welcome. We made our _home_ with the druids," she reminded him, "and my family _died_ with the druids. You and I have suffered so much together. Do you _really_ consider me an outsider?"

He looked properly chastised, and some of his anger seemed to ebb away. "No, of course not, Forgive me."

"Then prove your words," she demanded. "What do the prophecies tell us of Emrys?"

Kallen hesitated for another brief second before giving in. "Emrys is supposed to be the one to lead us into a new era, one where magic once again thrives and we will no longer be persecuted."

Anye nodded slowly. She had figured that much out already. Even without knowing it was foretold, she already believed that Merlin would be successful.

"He is the most powerful warlock who will ever live. He will conquer armies, level mountains, and kings will kneel at his feet." Kallen eyed her meaningfully. "_We_ are supposed to wait and have faith, _he _is supposed to be our conquering hero, ushering in the destined age of the Once and Future King."

"So wait," Anye answered immediately.

"We have spent _centuries_ waiting, Anye!" Kallen spat. "Uther is not the first king who has persecuted magic, and he won't be the last. And all this time we've waited. When Emrys was finally born, the world shook," he informed her. "All the magic in the earth sang of his entrance into the world. And so we've _continued_ to wait. Knowing that once he was old enough, he'd protect us. He'd save us."

"He still will," Anye touched his shoulder, willing him to believe her. "Just wait a little longer, and have faith in his destiny."

"Destiny has been altered before," he informed her. "If Emrys protects the Pendragons, he has betrayed us all. He is protecting our persecutors! If he will not liberate us, then we will have to liberate ourselves."

Anye shook her head. "No, Kallen! You were right. Attacking Camelot is not the answer. I should have listened to you, now it's your turn to listen to me."

Kallen looked at her sadly, with no intention of yielding to her pleas. "We attack in three days," he said numbly. "I would be honored to have you by our side, but no matter your choice, you will not change my mind."

"Kallen," she pleaded, eyes beginning to water, "I don't want to see you get hurt. You're…the last friend I have."

Kallen's grey eyes softened. His numbness gave way for a moment, and he finally reached forward and pulled her into a hug. "I'm sorry," he muttered. "But I have to do this. I will not be alone," he assured her.

Anye felt the ache inside her intensify. She knew what she had to do. She'd already made her choice. Hearing the prophecies about Emrys only strengthened her resolve. But that didn't make this any easier.

"How many will you have with you?"

"There are eighteen of us ready to fight, and there should be ten more joining us before we attack. We may be going up against Emrys, but even he is just one man. I doubt he can fight all of us."

"Who are they?"

"Various people. Mostly druids who are also frustrated with the prophecies, from the various clans I was able to reach. Some of them are outsiders, who don't care about the prophecies at all, but they want Camelot to fall just as much as we do."

Anye tightened her hold on the man who had become a brother to her. "I'm sorry," she whispered again, the ache of her betrayal intensifying.

"It's ok," he kissed the top of her head. "I don't blame you for not wanting to get involved. But I can't just sit and wait anymore."

She didn't answer, how could she?

.~.

It didn't take Arthur and Leon long to come up with a suitable explanation to tell Merlin. So the official story went as follows:

An unknown elderly woman had approached Leon and told him that her son, while traveling, had overheard two men talking. They were dressed like druids, and spoke of meeting with some sort of group to attack Camelot. Before the son managed to sneak away, one of the men whispered some sort of spell and wood started collecting itself for a fire. The obvious conclusion was that these men were magical, and so the group they were meeting must be magical as well. Therefore, an army of sorcerers was preparing to attack Camelot…It was, of course, the only logical explanation. The woman had then disappeared and Leon had been unable to locate her or her son since.

It was a complete and utter lie, and all three of them knew it. But, no one need know that the others already knew that.

What had come as a shock to Merlin, however, was being told that Arthur had no intention of telling Uther any of this.

"What do you mean you're not going to tell him?" Merlin asked indignantly. The whole point of telling Arthur, after all, had been so he could hopefully do something _useful._ Like raise the army or something.

The summer breeze teased at Arthur's hair as he leaned against the stone parapet, looking out over the city. It was a refreshing change from the stubbornly still air that had hung around Camelot for the past few days. It was still hot, but at least it wasn't so stifling.

"What would telling him accomplish?" Arthur demanded. "You and I both know that our army will be as good as useless against a magical attack of this scale."

"It's better than nothing!" Merlin countered.

Arthur shook his head, looking pointedly at Merlin. "We don't have 'nothing,'" he reminded him.

Realization hit Merlin like a rock. And really, he should have seen this coming. "You expect Emrys to fight them," he said at last. Honestly. He was really becoming annoyed with Arthur's sudden faith in magic. It was proving to be just as much a hindrance as a help. "Arthur, he might be powerful, but he's just one man. You can't seriously expect him to fight off twenty sorcerers by himself."

"Of course I don't!" Arthur snapped, catching Merlin off guard. "He got hurt enough fighting just one sorceress!"

Something about the way he said it made Merlin remain silent. A long moment passed in uncomfortable silence, Arthur staring at him. Then he turned to look out over the city, white knuckles gripping the wall. Suddenly he looked very uncomfortable, and Merlin recognized that look. Arthur wore it whenever less-frequent emotions flittered through him—gratitude, shame…Worry.

"He scared me," Arthur admitted, and Merlin at last understood. Arthur had been genuinely afraid for him. There was another long stretch of silence before Arthur turned and finally looked at Merlin. "When he got hit by her spell…I thought I'd lost him."

"I'm sorry," the words were out of Merlin's mouth before he could stop them.

Arthur seemed taken aback for a moment. "What for?" His voice sounded just slightly accusatory, making Merlin silently curse his carelessness.

He shrugged casually, trying to disarm the potentially dangerous ground they were treading on. "That just…must have been difficult. But it worked out in the end, right? Anye left, and Emrys got away." A quirky smile twitched at his lips. "I don't think you have to worry about him too much. He's probably pretty good at taking care of himself, by now."

Instead of calming the prince, Merlin was surprised when Arthur seemed to grow annoyed. "No," he said firmly. "I don't care how good he is at taking care of himself, and I don't care how damn powerful he is! He is _not_ invincible. And until he gets that through that thick skull of his," he prodded Merlin's forehead with his finger for emphasis, "then I'll worry about that idiot all I want!"

Merlin stared at him, the word ringing through his head. _Idiot._ Arthur had called Emrys an idiot.

Merlin had to fight desperately hard not to burst out laughing. This was the first time Arthur had said anything remotely…normal…about Emrys. And of all words to use, he had picked _idiot—_the same name he called Merlin on a daily basis.

And Merlin's heart felt lighter than it had since Anye warned him about the sorcerers. Maybe Arthur really _was_ beginning to understand. The distant image of a powerful, omniscient sorcerer was fading. Slowly, Arthur was realizing that Emrys was an actual _man_. A human being with limitations, just like anyone else.

_Idiot._

Merlin suppressed the near uncontrollable urge to grin.

But the memory of why they were here, and what they were discussing, soon wiped the almost-grin away.

"Ok," he said at last, "so if you don't want Emrys charging in on his own, what do you want?"

Arthur turned toward the city again with a frown, tapping his fingers on the stone. "Gather information, for now, I suppose," he answered at last. "We can't do anything until we know more about these sorcerers."

Merlin mentally checked that off his list already. Anye was out gathering information as they spoke.

"And…"

He didn't continue, making Merlin wonder if he really had something to add or if he was just thinking out loud. "And?" he finally prompted.

"These sorcerers…can we really blame them for wanting to attack us?"

Merlin started, but didn't answer. He had a feeling either answer would get him in trouble.

"They've been persecuted for so long…it's no wonder they're our enemies."

Merlin's heart thumped in his ribcage. "What are you going to do about it?" he asked, as casually as he could.

"I…can't do anything yet," he admitted. "My father's still king, after all. But…"

Merlin was very glad Arthur was still looking at the city, and not at his face.

But Arthur left the sentence hanging in the air, with apparently no intention of completing it.

"I should speak with them," Arthur said at last.

Merlin started again. "With the sorcerers?" he asked incredulously. "They'll kill you!"

Arthur turned to face Merlin again. "Maybe not," he countered, "if the right person sets up the meeting."

**A/N: I hope you guys didn't mind seeing a bit from Anye's perspective. Normally I stay away from doing OC POV, I think the longest bit I've done before this was way back in ASG with Candun's brief introduction at the beginning, so this was definitely new for me. But it just seemed to fit here. That being said, I'm curious. Do you all _like_ seeing OC POV? (Either in general, or with Anye in particular.)**


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter Eight

Merlin shouldered his pack once more, picked up the large basket, and moved to a new rosemary bush. Gaius would undoubtedly have his work cut out for him when this battle finally came. As a result, he would need all the herbs he could get. But Merlin couldn't just pick large amounts from a single area; that would only wipe out their supply for future use.

This was his second trip into the forest. The last time he had collected a large supply of yarrow, sage, and comfrey. Now he was out for rosemary and hyssop. It wasn't much, but gathering these herbs was a necessity, and it at least made Merlin feel less useless. Gaius had also made arrangements to restock his supply of bandages and linens.

Thoughts of what Arthur had said once again intruded upon Merlin's thoughts.

It was certainly an idea, and one that Merlin had never considered until the prince had suggested it. _Merlin_ had planned on maybe trying to talk to the sorcerers, but he'd never considered having _Arthur _speak with them. A few short weeks ago, that would never have been an option, and it gave Merlin a bit of a surprise to realize that it _was_ now an option.

It was not, however, an option that Merlin particularly liked.

But that didn't mean it wasn't their best option, which it might be.

After all, if Arthur spoke with them, maybe they wouldn't have to fight. But that plan could also go horribly wrong. If the sorcerers didn't listen, then Arthur would be in the midst of the enemy with only Merlin to get him out. And fighting his way out from twenty angry sorcerers did not seem all that practical—even with secret-keeping aside.

Rustling brush made Merlin look up. Instantly he was on his feet, brushing the dirt from his hands as he eyed the woman expectantly.

Dimly, he was aware that he should probably be more cautious in Anye's presence than he currently was, but the only anxiety he felt was towards the news she most likely brought with her. And she did not look like she bore good news. Her eyes were dark, and her face grave.

"What did you learn?" Merlin asked after the silence stretched between them.

For a long moment, he thought that maybe Anye wouldn't answer. At last, she tucked her red hair behind her ear and stepped forward, kneeling next to the rosemary bush plucking a few stems, placing them in Merlin's partially-full basket. "That you're going to need these medicinal herbs."

That didn't sound good. Wordlessly, Merlin returned to his crouched position and joined her in plucking more rosemary.

"There will be twenty-eight of them. Mostly druids, but some others as well." Her eyes were dark, and she kept them fixed on the plant. "They'll attack from the east in two days. Right now they're holed up in the Forest of Ascetir."

Merlin's eyes widened, sure he had heard that wrong. "Two days?" he repeated. That didn't give them much time. That didn't give them much time at all.

"Yes."

Several long moments passed in silence. "Are they powerful?"

"Powerful enough."

Merlin let out a deep breath. "Well. At least now we know what we're up against." He almost preferred the dark.

"You haven't told your king about the threat," Anye observed. Merlin eyed her strangely, but chose not to comment on her unlikely knowledge. She'd said she'd been watching Camelot, after all… "I was surprised to see that."

Merlin shrugged. "It was Arthur's decision," he admitted. "And I'm certainly not going to call the magic alarm in front of Uther. We'll probably end up telling him now, now that we know what we're facing and when we're facing it."

"I do not trust your king," Anye suddenly spat, anger filling her eyes. Merlin was surprised. He had not seen her angry in some time. "You, perhaps. And maybe even the prince, but never Uther."

Merlin shrugged. "Well that makes two of us."

"Then why don't you _do _something?" she demanded, jumping to her feet. She paced several feet away from him before rounding on him in her fury. "Kill Uther, put Arthur on the throne. Let our people _see_ that he will be different. Maybe then there wouldn't even be an attack!"

"I will not _murder_ Uther," Merlin said firmly.

"He's murdered _hundreds_ of us!"

"Do you think I don't know that?" Merlin demanded. "Time and time again I've had to make the decision of whether to let Uther die. I wouldn't have even had to kill him myself! Plenty of sorcerers have come along to give it a go."

"Then why didn't you?"

"Do you really, _really_ think Arthur would return magic to the land if his father were killed by magic?"

That made Anye pause in thought. "He trusts you," she said at last.

"And if I let his father die? Do you think he would trust me then?"

"You could easily make him think it was someone else," she pointed out coldly. 

Merlin's chest clenched at the implications of the words. "Is that really what you would have me do?" he asked. He'd overlooked so much that Anye had done, he'd even begun to trust her. Could she really ask something so deceitful and manipulative of him? It was…

It was _exactly_ what Morgause had asked of Morgana.

Anye's anger flickered for a moment, and Merlin caught a glimpse of something entirely different.

"What's going on?" he asked her slowly. "You said you trust me to return magic, why are you suddenly doubting me again?"

For a moment, Merlin thought he saw moisture in her eyes, but she kept her resolve.

"I don't want you to hurt him," she said at last.

"Uther?" Merlin asked incredulously, now thoroughly confused.

"No!" she shouted. She turned her back on him and hugged her arms to herself. "Kallen," was the soft correction.

Nope. Still confused.

"Who's Kallen?"

"The druid leading the attack."

Merlin fell silent again. "You know him?" he asked at last.

She nodded mutely. "He's…important to me."

Slowly, Merlin got to his feet. "I don't want to hurt him."

"Then kill Uther! Put an _end_ to this!"

"Killing Uther will only bring more bloodshed. And I think you know that."

Anye bit her lower lip. "He wants me to join them," she finally admitted.

Merlin's eyes widened ever so slightly. "And will you?"

… "No." Her answer was a little too late for Merlin's comfort.

"Will you help us?"

"I can't." That answer was more immediate. "I…I've betrayed him enough just by telling you this much. I cannot betray him anymore." She looked helplessly at Merlin, silently imploring him to believe her. "I _tried_ to persuade him against attacking," she assured him, "but he won't listen to me."

Merlin sighed. "Well," he was unable to restrain a slight roll of his eyes, thinking of Arthur, "I know what that's like..."

"I don't want this anymore than you do."

Merlin looked at her sadly. "I know."

"Then you understand why I cannot help Camelot?"

Merlin nodded. "I do. And you understand that I have to do whatever it takes to protect Camelot?"

Her mouth set into a tight line, but she nodded grimly. She took a step backward, most likely to teleport away again, but Merlin still had one more question.

"Anye," she paused, "_why _is Kallen attacking?"

"Same reason I did," was her answer. "To end the persecution of magic."

"Is that it?" he pressed.

"Isn't that enough?"

"It's just…" he paused, but there was more to this, and he had to know what was going on. "You said this was your fault. How?"

She looked almost surprised that Merlin remembered that comment. She didn't answer for what seemed like a long while. But when she did, Merlin knew the look on her face. She was haunted by the same guilt that he carried whenever he thought of the many things he blamed himself for. Morgana, the dragon's attack, Freya…

"I—" she froze, eyes darting into the tree line. Merlin heard it, too. A few snapped twigs, and leaves trodden under light footsteps. "I'm sorry," she finished instead. "I guess we're out of time." And with a flurry of wind, she was gone.

Merlin very nearly called out for her to wait, eager for more answers, but he bit his tongue. Whoever was coming, it would not do well for them to see him talking to Camelot's known "enemy."

He tried to suppress his irritation as the footsteps got louder, but his irritation died entirely when a familiar dark face and a yellow dress came into view.

"Gwen! What are you doing out here?"

Gwen's face brightened when she saw him. She set her empty basket down on the ground. "Looking for you, of course. Gaius said he sent you out to get rosemary, and I thought you might like an extra hand."

Yes, Merlin decided, it really was impossible to be irritated with Gwen, no matter what she had unintentionally interrupted.

He smiled warmly at her. "I've actually got enough rosemary now, but I still need some hyssop."

She picked up her basket again and the two of them wandered towards one of the more prominent hyssop patches. They walked in silence for a while. Merlin, wrapped in his thoughts about all that Anye had said, failed to see the unusualness of this for several minutes.

At last, Gwen's peculiar silence registered in his brain and he looked sideways at her. She was biting her lower lip in the way she always did when she was nervous about something.

Merlin immediately stopped. "What is it?"

Gwen was startled out of her reverie and blushed slightly. "What's what?" she asked innocently.

"Gwen, you know you don't have to do that."

She sighed, but continued to bite her lip, pondering her next words. "Something's happened, hasn't it?" she asked at last.

It was Merlin's turn to be startled. Why was he continuously surprised at how perceptive she really was? He'd thought he'd have learned by now. "What do you mean?" he asked, just as innocently as she had.

"You and Arthur…you're both on edge. Gaius, too."

Merlin shook his head slowly, then started walking again. "I'm sure everything's fine," he assured her. "Arthur tends to be on edge sometimes, you know him. He's got a lot on his shoulders."

"And _you?_"

There was the barest pause that really failed to lend credibility to his statement. "I've just been a bit distracted is all."

For a moment, Merlin thought she was going to accept that excuse, but that delusion didn't last long. Gwen picked up her pace until she could plant herself firmly in Merlin's path, a very un-Gwen-like scowl on her face. "Don't you lie to me, Merlin. I _know_ something's going on. So what is it?"

Merlin mentally debated with himself.

"Is it something to do with Emrys?"

That certainly dragged his thoughts away from his debate. He'd already known Arthur had told her about Emrys, and not for the first time he had to wonder just how much.

"What do you know about Emrys?" he finally asked, figuring there was no harm.

"I know he's protecting Camelot," she admitted. "And I know that Arthur is protecting him. Do you know anymore?"

Merlin kept his face carefully blank and shrugged. "That's about all that Arthur's told me," he replied truthfully.

"But it is about him, isn't it?" she persisted. "Has he done something?"

"Do you doubt him?"

"No!" she said hurriedly. "Well," she amended, "It is…a little strange to think of anyone with magic as an ally, and I never have actually _met him_, after all. But…Arthur trusts him."

Merlin smiled softly. That was good enough for him. For now, anyway. Then his smile faded again. "It's not really about Emrys," Merlin finally told her. "But we have gotten some bad news recently, about a possible threat to Camelot."

Gwen's eyes darkened. "What is it?"

He shook his head. No sense worrying her needlessly. After all, plans had been forming in his head—plans that just might be able to stop this impending attack. It was a long shot, but…it was possible.

For Camelot's sake, he _hoped _it was possible.

**A/N: Our Merlin's got a plan! Just what is he up to? With only two days until the sorcerers arrive, Camelot's running out of time. Eek! Hope you liked this chapter. :) Please review!**

7


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: Wow. A month. I fail. I'm so sorry! But here it is! Chapter nine! **

Chapter Nine

"Twenty-eight!" Uther shouted.

Arthur stood his ground. "That we know of," he confirmed.

"Who are they?"

"Sorcerers from a variety of places," he informed the king. He wasn't about to tell him they were primarily druids. Most of the druids were peaceful, and that was just asking for an unnecessary massacre.

"How can we fight against so many?" Uther thought out loud. He looked back up at his son. "And you're sure there's no one on the inside helping them?"

Arthur nodded firmly. "Yes, Sire. My source was quite clear. They have no foothold in Camelot. This is more an act of desperation and frustration, not a calculated assault. Searching for a sorcerer here would only be a waste of our time. And we need time."

Uther nodded slowly. "Very well. Double the patrols. Triple the guard on the gate. No sorcerers will make it into Camelot alive."

"Yes Sire. The knights are doing extra training as we speak. I will keep them on alert and stable hands ready. We will be ready to leave at a moment's notice."

"Good. See that you are."

Arthur bowed , then left, that unfortunate business behind him.

.~.

Merlin walked through the very on-edge city. The people knew nothing about the specifics of what was happening, but everyone could tell that something was going on.

Upon returning to Camelot, Merlin had informed Leon of what Anye had told him. Then Leon had told Arthur, and Arthur had at last told his father. Merlin was still slightly surprised that Uther had not flown into a blind rage, but the fact that this threat was so obviously coming from _outside_ Camelot helped him be slightly more rational.

So now, there were guards everywhere, patrolling the city, a strict curfew had been put into place, and the people were growing twitchy as they watched the knights and the soldiers train ever more intensely.

Merlin, for his part, had a plan. Well, "plan" might be a bit of an overstatement, but he knew what he intended to do and could only hope it worked. Before he did anything, however, he really had to get his staff back—the staff that was still tucked away in Arthur's room, conveniently waiting for "Emrys" to steal it back. Arthur had commented more than once about the peculiarity of the staff still being there, but every time Merlin considered taking it back, he couldn't shake the nerves of what would happen if Arthur happened to walk into the room, or spot him carrying it down the hallway.

But if they were going to face a magical threat this size, he would need its amplifying effects.

Currently, however, Merlin knew that Arthur was in his room. He wouldn't be there for too much longer, though. After all, it was just a brief lunch break before he rejoined his knights in their intense training. Merlin would wait until Arthur left, then he would take the staff.

In the meantime, Merlin was sitting on a pile of hay in the stables, with no one but the horses for company.

Taking slow, deep breaths, he let his senses expand, paying close attention to what he usually ignored—the way the air stirred around him, the way the earth beneath the stable floor quietly hummed, even the way the life within the horses pulsed ever so softly.

He wasn't entirely sure how to do this. But he'd read enough about anchors when he had been looking for a way to stop the earthquakes to at least have somewhat of an idea.

He took a small portion of his power and gently let it sink into the rich soil beneath the stable floor. Then slowly he drew the energy back, leaving part of it entwined with the earth's magic. He held what he pulled back and focused it.

"_Amddiffyn,"_ he muttered, focusing on the space just in front of him.

A faint gold shimmer appeared in the air once again. He felt the energy tug from him, but it felt different this time. He felt it tug down towards the earth, not forward towards the barrier he had created, like some sort of invisible pulley system.

He would have tossed something in to see if it worked, but just then, the tower bells chimed, marking the hour. Arthur would have just left his chambers, which meant that now was the time to take back his staff. Merlin let the spell fade, stood up, brushed the stray pieces of hay from his pants, and made his way out of the stables and up into the castle, smiling at those who called his name but otherwise not halting.

When he at last reached Arthur's chambers, Merlin took a deep breath to calm his fluttering stomach and pushed the door open.

"Arthur? Are you here?" Merlin called out after his initial scan of the room did not reveal the prince. No response came, so Merlin shut the door behind him and strode towards the bed.

Eventually, Arthur had moved the staff, stashing it safely under his bed rather than in the corner, where anyone could come in and see it. Arthur seemed to think Emrys could get to it just as easily in either location. Well, he'd been right. Dropping to his knees, Merlin carefully pulled the staff out. It pulsed pleasantly in his grasp, making his fingers tingle slightly.

He stood up straight, allowing his magic to fill him for a moment until the staff's crystal glowed faintly. He watched as the light faded again, smiling slightly.

The soft sound of the turn of a door handle alerted Merlin to danger. Panic filling him, his eyes flashed briefly gold and the staff flew out of his hand and up above the door just as it opened and Arthur stepped in.

"Arthur!" Merlin called pleasantly. "I thought you would be at training by now."

Arthur paused at his suspiciously pleasant tone, hand resting on the hilt of his sword that hung from his belt. "I forgot my gloves," he said shortly. Merlin continued to stand there with his goofy smile, and the moment stretched on.

Finally, Arthur shook his head at whatever antics Merlin was up to and simply crossed to the bedside drawer, where he pulled out his training gloves, oblivious to the length of magical wood that hung in the air over his head, following his every movement.

Arthur turned to look at Merlin again, who continued to just stand there. "What are you doing?" he asked at last.

"Sire?" Merlin asked innocently. Arthur rolled his eyes, and it was then that he caught sight of the mirror over Merlin's shoulder. Sheer willpower kept his eyes from widening in surprise, and he instead crossed to the door.

"Never mind," he said in exasperation. "Just…don't stand around like a statue all day. I don't pay you to laze about." With that, he left again, door clicking shut behind him.

Merlin took a deep, relieved breath, and after waiting a few more minutes, lowered the staff down into his hands again.

Arthur paused outside his door as his eyes rolled back into his head.

He'd given Merlin plenty of opportunity to take the staff back, and did he take it? No! Arthur had given up trying to subtly _help_ him steal it back, and then? Merlin finally decides to take it back at the same time Arthur forgets his gloves and has to go back to get them.

Only Merlin would have such rotten timing.

Arthur forced himself away from the door and began walking away. It wouldn't do for Merlin to open the door to take the staff back to his room and run straight into him. Again.

A frown formed on his face as he walked. It could be a coincidence—after all, Merlin would have to take it back eventually. But Arthur couldn't make himself believe that. Taking his staff back right after they find out about this magical attack? Arthur couldn't shake the feeling that Merlin was preparing for a fight. And Leon hadn't told him anything about this, which quite possibly meant that Merlin hadn't told him, which could mean that he meant to go alone.

Arthur felt a knot clench in his stomach at the thought.

.~.

Arthur fought back a yawn, failing miserably, as he sat in his hiding place. Twice guards had passed by, and neither of them had so much as glanced in his alcove, making Arthur have to resist a sigh of exasperation at their incompetence.

Arthur was bored. Very bored. Although considering why he was crouched in an alcove in the middle of the night, he figured maybe that was a good thing.

He was very close to nodding off when a door at last creaked. He jerked his head up, rubbed his eyes and stood up, peaking cautiously out from his hiding place.

A head of dark hair and a familiar brown jacket was making his way down the corridor in the opposite direction, a long staff in hand. Arthur's jaw set into a grim line. Sometimes he really hated it when he was right.

He waited until Merlin had turned the corner before he made his way from his alcove, sword strapped reassuringly at his waste. He hurried down the hallway, then peaked around the corner. Merlin continued steadily on his way.

He made his way towards one of the servant's entrances in the kitchen, Arthur crouched behind one of the counters as Merlin paused at the door. The prince could just make out some muttered words before there was a sudden loud sound outside. Merlin ducked back inside as several guards ran towards the sound, then slinked outside.

Arthur followed in his footsteps, careful not to draw the guards' attention.

The next time Merlin paused to avoid the guards, Arthur hesitated as an idea hit him.

He didn't know what exactly Merlin was up to, but he didn't like it. Anything that involved Merlin sneaking out of the city, with his magical staff, in the dead of night, alone, could not possibly be good. And Arthur could think of one, very easy way to stop him.

He could alert the guards.

He couldn't point Merlin out specifically. He _was_ carrying a magical staff, after all, but there was only one way out of the city: the main gates. He could easily get ahead of Merlin, make a ruckus, put the not-so-alert guards on high alert.

He continued on Merlin's heels, indecision gripping him. His instincts screamed for him to stop Merlin from doing anything stupid, to protect him.

And yet, here Merlin was, staring at his last obstacle before leaving the city, and Arthur still hadn't stopped him.

Merlin muttered more of those words, and a crate in the opposite alley toppled over. Apparently this time, however, luck was not on Merlin's side. Two of the guards quickly left their post to investigate the noise, four stayed. And unfortunately, the noise seemed to only perk their alertness. Their grips on their spears tightened, eyes looking around fervently. Arthur could see Merlin's shoulders tense.

And the way Arthur's stomach clenched at that realization made up his mind for him.

Carefully, he stepped well away from Merlin, then took a breath.

"Guards!" he called, stepping out into the open. They lowered their spears at him at first, then snapped to attention as they recognized him. "Did you see him?" he demanded.

"See who, Sire?" The head guard asked with uncertainty.

"A middle-aged man, cloaked. I chased him through the stables in this direction. Did you see him?"

"N—no, Sire."

"He has to be around here somewhere, fan out," he ordered.

By now, he was only partially surprised when they obeyed without question, leaving the main gate wide open. Arthur deliberately turned his back on it. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a crouched figure emerge from his hiding place.

_Be careful, Merlin, _Arthur warned him silently. _And don't do anything stupid._


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter Ten

Merlin ran to the tree line as soon as the gate was clear. Reaching it, he paused and looked back to the city walls, his brow furrowed. Arthur's sudden appearance had been a little too…convenient. And a middle-aged man running out of the stables? Merlin hadn't seen anyone. And he'd been paying a bit more attention to his surroundings than the guards.

This was not the first of Arthur's recent actions that made Merlin pause for thought.

He shook his head slightly, deciding not to question his good fortune. Instead he tightened his grip on his staff and headed east, towards the Forest of Ascetir. He wished he could have taken his horse, but it was a bit more difficult to sneak out of the city on horseback. So instead, he made his way on foot, the bright moon lighting his path until he got too deeply in the forest.

When the path became too dark thanks to the dense trees, Merlin held open his palm and spoke softly, "_Golau_." An orb of light appeared in his hand and was sent hovering in front of him, lighting the way. For once, Merlin was not worried about alerting anyone to his presence. For once, he _wanted_ to be found.

He had been traveling steadily east for a solid two hours before there was any change in the silent night. Merlin felt a strange tingling sensation on the back of his neck and paused, feeling distinctly like he was being watched.

"I come in peace," he declared loudly. "I wish to speak to Kallen."

There was a long moment of silence, and Merlin began wondering if he'd been imagining things. Then, three men came out from hiding, all from different directions around him. "What business do you have with him?" the one to Merlin's left demanded. Merlin turned to face him.

"Camelot," he said shortly.

The man shifted on his feet at that answer, looking Merlin up and down as though to gage just what he was after. "What about Camelot?"

"I know about the attack," Merlin said simply. "And I wish to speak to Kallen," he repeated firmly.

None of the men seemed impressed. "Are you here to join us?" the second man asked at last, "or to stop us?"

"I'm here," Merlin said slowly and clearly, "to speak to Kallen." The third repetition seemed to finally sink in.

"Stay with him," the first man ordered the other two. He then melted back into the trees. Merlin remained where he was, the remaining two sorcerers staring at him. They remained like that for the next quarter hour. Merlin certainly had no intention of breaking the silence.

At last, the man returned and stopped several feet away from Merlin, studying him again. But at last, he nodded his brief consent. "Come with me," he said at last. "Ranim, Nyr, accompany us please."

The four of them made their way through the woods. Merlin kept his eyes open and alert. They passed more people as they went, though Merlin never saw them. He could feel the gentle hum of their magic, but only because he was searching for them.

It wasn't too much longer when they reached the opening of a cave. Another man stood in front of it, wearing the plain robes of a druid. He had dark hair and a short beard. Merlin felt for his magic, and sensed a rather strong pulse. The three men accompanying Merlin stepped to the side, allowing him to step forward and face this new man.

"Kallen, I presume?"

"Yes," the man responded. "And who, may I ask, are you?"

"My name is Merlin," he answered, but paused. "Though you may know me better as Emrys."

The reaction was immediate. Merlin heard multiple gasps behind him, and Kallen actually took a step back.

"_You_ are Emrys?" he asked, voice cold. Merlin's gut clenched uncomfortably at the reaction, but he nodded. Kallen turned to his men. "Bring me Anye," he ordered. Merlin couldn't stop his eyes widening slightly. Anye was here? The man disappeared into the cave to do as ordered. "What are you doing here?" he asked, turning back to Merlin.

"To ask you to leave Camelot in peace."

Kallen's eyes only hardened. He did not seem at all surprised. "And if we don't?"

Merlin chose his words carefully. "Then you will be making a grave mistake."

"What mistake can there be in freeing magic?"

"You won't be freeing magic," Merlin insisted. "You'll be destroying all hope of peace. For any of us."

"What peace is there to destroy?" Kallen asked, almost reasonably. "The Pendragons hunt us like animals.

"And the magical community has hunted them," Merlin pointed out. "Someone has to stop it."

"And that someone is you?"

Merlin was about to answer when a familiar face and red hair came out of the cave. Anye's eyes immediately landed on Merlin and she visibly winced at the sight. Merlin's stomach clenched again.

"Anye, do you recognize this man?" Kallen asked when he realized she had joined them.

The sorceress nodded grimly. "Yes," she confirmed. "He is the man I told you about. He is Emrys."

Kallen's eyes turned to Merlin again, entire demeanor hardening now that his visitor's identity had been confirmed. "So you are who you say you are," he commented, almost casually. "And I suppose that if we do not stop our attack, you will fight us?"

It was a question, a challenge, one that Merlin did not take. "I do not want to fight you," he insisted. "We want the same thing. But you are mistaken if you think the death of the Pendragons will end magic's persecution."

"Uther is the one who began this bloodshed," Kallen countered. "Magic can never be free while he lives."

Merlin took a step forward. "But _Arthur_ is not like his father. _Arthur_ is at last beginning to trust magic. I understand why you cannot trust Uther. Believe me, I have suffered at his hands. But trust in the prince."

"Why?"

"Because _Arthur," _Merlin said slowly, "is the Once and Future King."

Stunned silence met his words, and Merlin turned to look at each person in turn. Even Anye looked shocked at this admission.

Kallen finally broke the silence. "You lie."

Merlin shook his head firmly. "I speak the truth. Arthur is the one destined to return the age of magic. I ask that you trust me in this."

Anye winced again at his words, and Merlin got the immediate sense that he had made a terrible mistake. Indeed, Kallen looked furious. "_Trust _you?" he demanded. "Why should we _trust_ the man who has been protecting our enemies all this time? Why should we trust someone who has utterly _betrayed_ us?"

Anye stepped forward and put a hand on Kallen's arm, urging him to see sense. "It is only a betrayal if he is wrong, Kal," she pointed out. "If he is right, then to kill Arthur would be to doom us all."

"It is _not_ Arthur Pendragon!"

"I assure you," Merlin inputted, "it is."

Kallen stared at him in silence for a long moment, thoughts turning in his head. Merlin tried his best to be patient and waited.

"Very well," Kallen said at last. Merlin breathed a sigh of relief, but something in the man's tone told him that something else was coming. "You claim Arthur is our king, I don't believe you. But," he paused again, "this is not solely my decision to make. Nyr," the man who was still in his place behind Merlin stepped forward. "Gather those on watch. Ranim, wake those who are resting. This is a decision for all of us to make. Together. You," he turned once again to Merlin, "will follow me."

Merlin's grip on his staff tightened at the venom in Kallen's voice, but the druid made no move to attack. He merely turned and walked into the trees. Merlin hesitated, but at Anye's urging he followed.

The three of them came to a large clearing. Merlin swallowed hard, realizing he was going to have to make his case in front of their entire force.

Indeed, more people slowly joined them, in groups of twos, threes, or fours. Merlin counted as they arrived, and at last, there were twenty-eight individuals standing, whispering to each other as they eyed the stranger, mostly they were men, but Merlin spotted a few women in the ranks as well. The majority of them wore druid robes, but a few of them were quite obviously not druids, and they held a more malicious look to them. Anye made twenty-nine.

Kallen motioned for them to be silent, and the whispers slowly died away, everyone eager to hear what Kallen would say.

"This man here," he motioned to Merlin stiffly, "is Emrys."

The whispers broke out again, much louder this time, when Kallen raised his hand this time, it took much longer for silence to return.

"He is here to warn us to leave Camelot in peace." Eyes hardened at that, and Merlin resisted the urge to wince. The words sounded threatening, but he wasn't here to hurt anyone. "He claims," Kallen continued, "that the young Pendragon is the Once and Future King."

No whispers broke out at that statement, though everyone looked around at each other in shock and bewilderment.

"I do not believe him," Kallen responded to the silence.

"But I do," Merlin's eyes snapped to the voice that had spoken. Anye stood bravely, turning to look at each person in turn.

"No Pendragon will ever be my king!" an unfamiliar voice rang out. Merlin followed the sound until his eyes fell on a vicious looking man who had stepped forward from the crowd. He did not wear the druid robes, making Merlin instantly more wary of him. At least the druids had been raised to respect peace. "Like father, like son."

"Arthur is different than his father," Anye countered.

"So he says," he spat, waving his hand in Merlin's direction. "Why should we trust him? You said yourself, he's been protecting Camelot all this time. How many of our people have died while he was supposedly fighting for us?"

Anye flicked guilty eyes to Merlin, and understanding hit him like a rock.

They weren't attacking for revenge, like he'd assumed. They were attacking because they had lost faith in _him._ They had lost faith that Emrys would save them, because he was protecting their persecutors.

Because Anye had _told_ them he was protecting their persecutors.

Merlin hung his head. They were right, after all. He had saved those he could, but many more had died with him helpless to stop the bloodshed. He could hardly blame them for wanting to take matters into his own hands. Hadn't he done much the same thing whenever he got frustrated with so called "destiny?" "Many have died," he confirmed. "But do not blame Arthur for _my_ mistakes, or for Uther's."

The whispers continued, until Kallen spoke again. "It was not _Uther_ who led the attack on my family," he said firmly. "It was _Arthur_ who slaughtered my people."

Merlin sagged. "I am not saying that Arthur's hands are free of blood, but he has changed. He is a different man now."

"What proof do you have of this?" a woman asked softly. She was among the older of those present, hair turning grey and wrinkles setting into the corners of her eyes.

Merlin looked at her steadily. "He knows about me," he said at last. "He knows a warlock defends him, and he trusts me. He has protected me ever since he has learned of my existence."

The women's eyes widened at that. "He trusts you?" she repeated.

Merlin nodded firmly. "And I trust him."

"Empty words," Kallen spat. "Anye told me the truth. He knows a warlock defends him, but he doesn't know that warlock is _you._ He couldn't kill you even if he wanted to. How do we know he's not just waiting to discover your true identity so he can kill you, same as everyone else he's ever killed?"

Merlin opened his mouth to protest, but Anye beat him to it.

"Arthur knows."

Merlin's eyes snapped to her at the admission, his heart freezing in his chest. "What do you mean he knows?" he demanded.

Anye locked eyes with him briefly in apology, but her words were for Kallen. "He has known that Merlin here is Emrys ever since the day I attacked Camelot."

"_WHAT?"_

**A/N: Yes. I did just do that. Muahaha! Bet you can't wait for the next chapter, huh?**

**Once again, thanks for reading! Things are significantly slowing down for me. This week promises much free time. So the next chapter should be up significantly sooner than usual. Thanks for being patient with me in the chaos of school/life!**

**~Syd**


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter Eleven

Arthur paced anxiously in his rooms. He hadn't even tried going to sleep—he knew he would not be able to. He hadn't even taken off his chainmail, and his sword remained strapped to his waste.

He felt like a coward. Why had he let Merlin go? He had been all set to stop him. He wouldn't have even had to reveal what he knew! But at the last second he not only had not _stopped_ him, but he'd _helped_ the boy head off into danger.

It was only the nerves talking, really, and something inside of Arthur knew that. Merlin had proven himself to be more than capable. And as awful as he was at taking care of himself, he at least had _some_ level of self-preservation. How else could he have survived this long? Plus, if nothing else, Merlin must know that he was their best chance at defeating this army, and that if he died, there would be nothing standing in the way of Camelot's defeat. That alone would be incentive enough for Merlin to watch himself.

Arthur hoped.

It had been close to three hours since Merlin had left. Arthur wasn't sure what he was expecting to happen, but nothing changed in the silent night. Arthur constantly watched the courtyard from his window, waiting to see a familiar figure sneaking back into the palace, safe at last, but none came.

But he was ok. He had to be. Otherwise, Arthur would never forgive himself.

He continued his pacing.

.~.

"_WHAT?"_

They ignored Merlin's outburst, all eyes glued to Anye. "How do you know this?" Kallen finally asked.

"I had to know I was making the right choice by leaving Camelot in Emrys's and Arthur's hands, so I've been watching the prince."

Merlin's head was spinning. Arthur knew. Arthur _knew?_ Why the hell hadn't he said anything!

_I'll worry about that idiot all I want!_

Oh. _Oh._

Merlin was such a fool.

Kallen shaked his finger at her in uncertainty. "No…no. _You_ are the one who told me that the prince does _not_ know."

Anye shrugged. "As far as anyone else is concerned, that's the truth. The prince has chosen to hide his knowledge for the time being, even from Emrys here. You don't trust Emrys," Anye continued, ignoring the turmoil raging inside of Merlin at this new revelation. "Then trust me, I am one of you. Arthur is different than his father, I have seen it."

"Arthur has defended those with magic before," Kallen pointed out, shifting tactics, "but he always turns on us again." He turned to the people before him. "Many of you remember how Arthur is the one who returned Mordred to us." Many of them nodded their remembrance, while others simply looked confused. "But that did not stop him from attacking my people, _including Mordred,_ barely two years later. Is that who you want for your king? Someone who will let you be free for a few short months and then turn on you again?"

There were shouts of outrage at the suggestion.

Merlin pulled himself from his spiraling thoughts. As much as he wanted to march back to Camelot and demand answers from Arthur, he still had a job to finish here. "What I say, what Anye says, what Kallen says, what does it matter?" Merlin finally asked. All eyes turned once more to him. "I ask you now to let Arthur speak for himself. Let him come here and speak with you, then you will see for yourselves that Anye and I speak the truth."

The angry whispers and shouts continued, no one seemed interested in what Arthur would say. The exception was the older woman. Merlin looked her in the eye. Slowly she nodded.

"Emrys is right," she said at last. The voices all died down immediately. Whoever this woman was, apparently she was someone to be respected. "The prince should have a right to speak for himself. I say we hear him."

No angry outbursts followed her statement, but uncertain glances passed around the circle. Kallen in particular did not look pleased, and Merlin realized that while he was leading this attack, he did not hold ultimate authority over this group.

"Very well, Ima," Kallen said at last. "You are the oldest among us, that gives the elder's right for the final decision to you." He paused and his dark eyes narrowed. "But allow me to add a single condition."

The woman—Ima—thought about her answer, then slowly inclined her head.

"Arthur may speak to us, but he must deliver Uther over to justice."

The hope swelling in Merlin's chest burst. Arthur would never betray his father.

Anye saw the danger. "The point of this discussion is _Arthur's_ place as our king. What does Uther have to do with it?" she demanded.

"Arthur can do _nothing_ for us until he is king of Camelot," Kallen spat. "Even if he is the Once and Future King, his word as a prince is meaningless. I will not wait through decades more of slaughter for a king who may or may not save us. If Arthur truly wishes to do right to us, he will deliver his father over to us and put an end to this persecution _now."_

Merlin watched with held breath for the reaction of the people around them. Slowly, they all nodded their consent. After all, that seemed perfectly logical and rational, and certainly better than blind slaughter—how could it not? But anger bubbled inside of Merlin as they failed to recognized the obvious.

"Are you _insane?_" Merlin finally spat out. "Do you have _any_ idea what would happen if Arthur _usurped_ his father's throne?"

"Yes," Kallen said firmly. "The Golden Age would come that much sooner. Assuming, of course," he added with a glint in his eye that said quite clearly he had won, "that he really is our king."

"Camelot would fall to ruin!" Merlin argued. "The kingdom would be divided in civil war! How could Arthur unite all the lands of Albion if he can't even keep his _own _kingdom in one piece!"

"How could he unite the lands of Albion if he allows genocide to go unpunished?" was the immediate counter, laced with ill-concealed bitterness.

Merlin was at a loss for words. His mouth gapped as he searched for an answer, but none came. He looked to Ima for some sort of help, but her face offered nothing. Neither did Anye have an answer. She remained tight-lipped with her eyes on the ground. Merlin looked at the faces of the enemy, and realized he had lost. There was no answer he could give that would satisfy them.

"I will not bring Arthur to you," he concluded at last. "I will not ask him to divide his kingdom for the sake of your twisted logic." His eyes hardened. He was done reasoning. "But neither will I allow you to destroy what I have worked so hard to build. I will _not _allow Camelot to fall to you."

"Then," Kallen said, eyes equally hard, "you are our enemy, after all." He looked to the crowd again before pointing to Merlin. "I stand and accuse Emrys of twofold betrayal—service to the enemy, and crimes against magic."

Now this wasn't good.

Anye looked positively livid. "He is doing what he thinks is best for all of us!" she defended angrily. "Whether or not you agree with his reasoning, Kal, you cannot fault his intentions!"

"Damn his intentions!" one of the men shouted. "He's a fool and his folly would be the death of us all!"

Neither would Kallen listen. "He protects the Pendragons," he argued. "He would stop us from ending the tyranny that has taken so much from each and every one of us. And I say he should pay for his crimes."

Nope, _really_ not good.

"Kal, listen to yourself! You're anger has blinded you! Will you really attack _Emrys_?"

Merlin looked around to the many people gathered, hoping to see some sort of sign of hesitation, but he saw only grim resolution, anger, and frustration. Ima was the only one who showed any sort of uncertainty, but she said nothing to speak in his defense.

It wasn't until the first fireball was thrown his way that Merlin realized he was really in trouble.

He barely managed to dodge when he felt the telling hum of magic stir up. When he faced his attacker, he found the not-druid who had spoken against Arthur before.

"Athiss!" Anye shouted. "What are you _doing?"_

"Enacting judgment," he said simply, a cruel smile tugging at his lips.

"Judgment requires a vote of the elders!"

"_Your _judgment requires a vote of the elders," he returned swiftly. "_Mine_ does not. And _your _elders are not here." Merlin had more warning this time and dodged another fireball, his staff glowed as he magically latched onto it as it passed to slingshot it back to his attacker, hitting him square in the chest and making him howl in pain.

Before Merlin had time to celebrate his victory, he felt another crackle of energy and turned, only to have a fist-sized rock painfully graze the side of his head, followed immediately by a much larger stone, which he managed to dodge. The woman who faced him wore druid robes. He could see her hands shaking in uncertainty, but that did not stop her from attacking again.

Several more sparks of magic flared to life.

Maybe this had been a bad idea after all.

A golden shield erupted in front of him, just blocking a spell that Merlin had not seen in time. "Stop this!" Anye shouted. "You disgrace our people! He just came to speak with us, he did not come to fight!"

"The woman conspires with him!" the first attacker shouted, having regained his feet. "I say we take them both down!"

"No!" Kallen shouted, and Merlin couldn't help but stare at him. That was the first hint of anything but bitterness he had shown. "Anye is not our enemy!"

"She uses magic against us," Athiss countered.

One of the older men sent a lightning bolt at the still glowing shield. Merlin's relief that Anye had helped him vanished when the shield disintegrated. Anye anchored her shields with the _earth_. How could that man have broken it? Anye stumbled backward, but regained her footing.

Merlin's staff and eyes glowed as he deflected another spell. He blocked again and again, but there were simply too many of them. All he could do was block spells—he had no hope of getting off any spells of his own. And even focusing purely on defense, he still couldn't block them all.

A pair of hands gripped his arm tightly, and Merlin didn't have any time to react before yet another spell was enacted. Before he could register what was happening, he felt the air sucked from his lungs and an intense pressure built in his head and chest.

"Stop her!" a distant voice chimed, almost drowned out by the roar in Merlin's ears.

Just when he thought he couldn't take anymore, there was a silent pop as the pressure immediately eased, and Merlin found himself staring at the dark sky and struggling to fill his starved lungs with oxygen.

He forced himself into a seating position and looked frantically around him, but only stone walls, a lone door, and empty sky filled his sight. Plus Anye.

He should have been more concerned about what had just happened. He should have asked her where they were—for she had obviously just teleported them out of danger—or how she had done that. He could have asked her if this meant she would help them after all. He could have even sat back in the sudden relief that they were—at least temporarily—out of danger, but instead a single question bubbled out of his mouth before he could stop it.

"What the _hell_ do you mean Arthur _knows!"_


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N: I'm glad to see you guys have loved the last couple chapters so much! Thank you all for your wonderful reviews and support!**

Chapter Twelve

"What the _hell_ do you mean Arthur _knows!" _Merlin demanded. "Why the hell didn't he _say_ anything? Why didn't _you!" _

All of Arthur's strange looks, his convenient appearances and disappearances. Calling Emrys an idiot, telling Merlin _point bank_ that he trusted Emrys…Merlin's head spun with this new revelation as more and more details fell into place.

Anye fought back a sigh of exasperation but only partially succeeded. "Oh calm down, would you?" she answered shortly. "I lied."

Merlin, who had been half way to his feet, plopped back down on the ground again. "You lied?" he repeated.

"Yes, I lied."

And the oh so perfect puzzle that Merlin had begun to construct in his head, with all those pieces fitting together, suddenly shattered into pure and utter confusion. He stared dumbly at Anye.

"Why?" he asked at last.

"Kallen wasn't listening," she said by way of explanation. "I thought that detail might make him a little more reasonable."

"That _fake_ detail."

"Yes, Merlin, that _fake_ detail." She sighed sadly. "Too bad it didn't work."

Merlin continued to stare at her. "So…you lied to him."

"Yes."

"About lying to him."

"I suppose…"

Merlin shook his head. "No. You care for him—much more than I realized before. You wouldn't lie to him, you wouldn't manipulate him like that."

"Oh and I suppose you're just a beacon of truth with everyone _you_ care about, aren't you?" she spat back, eyes sparking dangerously. "You'd _never_ lie to Arthur. Or to that servant girl. Or to Gaius."

Merlin winced. He had to admit she had a point. Didn't he spend most of his life lying to those he loved the most?

"So I'm just supposed to believe you're telling the truth this time?" he finally asked, somewhat skeptically.

Anye raised her hands in annoyance. "Believe whatever you want," was her snapped answer. "I don't particularly care. What I _do_ care about is this impending attack. Ask Arthur yourself, if it's bothering you so much. But _right now_ we have more important things to worry about."

Merlin stood slowly, continuing to stare at her. "We?" he finally asked.

She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "If you're right…if Arthur really is the King—"

"He _is_ the King," Merlin interrupted.

She just sighed again, not seeming to mind the interruption, and Merlin realized that she really did not doubt him.

"If he is the King," she continued, "then Kallen is making an even bigger mistake than I realized." She took the few remaining steps to the wall and looked out towards the horizon. Merlin followed her gaze and realized that they were atop one of Camelot's towers. "If Kallen knew…if he understood…he would never forgive himself."

"So you will help us?"

"I will help _Kallen,_" she said softly. "But to help him…we must stop him. I will do what I can to help you save Camelot."

Merlin placed a hand on her shoulder. "Thank you."

She placed her hand over his, her own knuckles turning white. "Promise me," she nearly begged, looking him square in the eye, "promise me you won't hurt him."

Merlin felt his heart sag at the sorrow in her eyes. He had no desire to hurt any of the druids. After all, they were just doing what they thought was right. They really were all fighting for the same thing, just with drastically different methods. But sadly, he knew this was a promise he could not make.

"I promise…that I will spare him if I can," he amended. "But Camelot and Arthur must come first."

She squeezed his hand. "I understand."

A tingling sensation in the back of Merlin's mind, followed closely by a large, deep boom had Merlin instantly at the wall again, hands gripping the stone as he cast his eyes around for a hint as to what had just happened. Another deep boom followed only a few moments later. This one was much closer, and Merlin's eyes immediately snapped to the explosion of dust and debris several floors down and to the side. The stone beneath Merlin's fingers trembled slightly from some sort of force.

It was only moments before the alarm bells began to chime.

"What's going on?" Merlin asked Anye. "They weren't meant to attack until dawn!"

"You angered them," she answered. "I guess you spurred them into action."

"But it took me two hours to reach them from here! How did they get back so _fast?_"

Anye stared pointedly at him. "I'm not the only one who knows how to teleport, Merlin," she pointed out.

Oh. He shrugged somewhat sheepishly.

"They're in the city?"

Anye was silent for a moment, waiting for the next strike. When it came, she shook her head. "No. These attacks are long-ranged. They must be at the forest's edge."

Merlin resisted the urge to curse. Being so far away, the archers would be useless. Arthur would have to mount a ground attack. And that would put him in more direct harm's way.

Merlin tapped the stone under his fingers agitatedly, mind racing.

"Anye," he said slowly, "shields are your specialty."

She eyed him strangely. "Yes…"

"Do you think you could place one around this whole city?"

Her eyes grew round. She turned her gaze to the city again, then back to the castle, turning a full circle as she took in her surroundings. "No," she said at last. "That would take…a tremendous amount of power."

Another blast made the stone beneath their feet tremble. Along the walls below, the sound of running feet could be heard, followed closely by shouted commands that Merlin couldn't quite make out. He recognized the voice, however. It was Arthur.

"Will the soldiers come up here?" Anye asked him, looking also to the lower walls, where dozens of archers had taken their places, all staring out with nothing to shoot at.

Merlin's thoughts were turning too quickly to answer her. He slowly thumbed the wood of the staff in his hand as he thought. Slowly, his eyes fell to the staff as well.

He had realized long ago that the Sidhe staff didn't really have any magic of its own. It acted more as a conduit, taking his own power and channeling it, amplifying and focusing it in the process according to how he willed it. Maybe…

It was a crazy idea. Insane, even. But just maybe…

With his own plans stirring into action again, the words bubbled out of his mouth. "I have power." Anye raised her eyebrows. "A rather 'tremendous' amount at that."

Her eyes widened ever so slightly. "You don't have much practice," she pointed out. "Do you honestly think you could do it?"

He looked at her as he shook his head. "No," he said simply.

Her eyes widened further in understanding, but she quickly shook her own head. "No, no it wouldn't work, Merlin."

"Have you ever tried?"

She bit her lip. "No," she admitted.

"Then what have we got to lose by trying?"

Slowly, she looked about her once more, then her eyes fell on Merlin again. "All, right, but we can't do it here," she said at last. "We need to be able to see all of what we're protecting. Somewhere we won't be interrupted."

Merlin cast his own eyes around, looking primarily up at the castle. "There," he pointed to the highest tower.

"Will it be empty?"

"There's probably a sentry guard," he admitted. "But I can take care of him."

"Then let's go." She gripped Merlin's arm and once again said the incantation.

.~.

"Archers to the wall! Be at the ready!" Arthur shouted, pitching his voice so it would carry as soldiers rushed past. Arthur took up his own place, though he held no bow. He looked out over the city, the sky barely beginning to lighten with the grey glow of false dawn. It didn't take him long to realize there was nothing to shoot at. Another blast hit them, and the ground shook from the impact. Part of the west tower crumbled, though no guards or archers had yet been stationed there. There was no boulder to have caused the blow, hurled by some great catapult, neither was there any sort of explosive. The wall seemed to be struck by some giant, invisible force.

Magic.

_Merlin, where are you?_

"Sire," the respectful yet firm inquiry made him turn around, where he saw Sir Leon and Sir Burik standing and awaiting orders.

"Sir Burik, gather the knights. The stables should already be saddling the horses, we've been waiting for this. Be ready to ride the moment I join you." Sir Burik nodded his understanding and rushed to do as told. Arthur then took Leon's arm and drew him a few paces away from the nearest archer. "Find Merlin," he muttered softly. "He left in the middle of the night and I haven't seen him since. He's doing _something_ and he may need help."

"Yes, Sire. I'll speak with Gaius. Perhaps he knows where he disappeared to."

He made to leave, but Arthur stopped him. "And Leon…make sure he doesn't do anything stupid." Leon nodded solemnly and departed. Arthur cast his eyes to the east, where he knew the attackers were stationed. The same direction Merlin had headed. Twenty-eight sorcerers. One warlock. Arthur didn't like math.

"Arthur!" Arthur whipped around, resisting the urge to groan at the familiar voice.

"Guinevere!" he scolded, "You should not be up here. Get inside where it's safe."

"What's going on Arthur?" she demanded.

"We're under attack," he said quickly, just as another force struck the castle. "By sorcerers," he added. "Which is why _you_ should not be on the wall." He grabbed her arm and made to drag her back inside if necessary, but she was having none of it.

"I want to help," she said stubbornly.

Gods he loved her, but sometimes she was just too difficult for her own good. Normally he would send her to Gaius to help make preparations for the infirmary. But with Leon heading there to inquire about some sensitive information, that could put forward some awkward questions. "You can't," he said, knowing full well that wouldn't satisfy her. "Not right now. Please, if you want to help, just make sure that _you_ are safe. I can't afford to be worrying about you right now."

A boy appeared at his elbow. "My lord," he interrupted as politely as urgency would allow.

"Yes?" he asked the messenger.

"Sir Burik says the knights and horses are ready and await your command to ride out."

"Ride out. Ride _out?_" Gwen demanded. "Arthur how do you expect to fight them? You could be killed!"

"If I do nothing, we _all_ may be killed," he pointed out. He placed his hands on her shoulders. "Go inside, Guinevere. Please." As another strike hit, he took advantage of the fact that everyone's attention was focused on the attack and planted a kiss on her forehead.

Guinevere bit her lip in uncertainty, but nodded. "Be careful," she ordered softly. Arthur squeezed her shoulders briefly and then released her, turning on his heel and hurrying away to do his duty.

"Arthur!" a familiar gruff voice called out. Arthur turned his head to the source and found his father striding towards him. The king had at last arrived. Arthur strode forward to meet him.

"The attacks are long-ranged, but the archers have nothing to shoot at," he reported. "The knights ride out to face the threat more directly. I go to meet them now."

"No," Uther snapped suddenly. "The knights must ride, you must stay here to command the castle."

Arthur grit his teeth. Now was not the time for his father to get overly protective again. "No, Sire, I must ride with my knights."

"You are the heir to the throne. It is too dangerous!"

"I am a knight of Camelot," Arthur countered. "And if we do not stop this threat, there will be no Camelot to rule. Father, I _must_ go. _You_ can command the castle. _I_ will face this threat head on." He gripped his father's shoulder. "I will come back," he promised.

Uther reluctantly nodded, and that was all the permission Arthur needed.

Gwen watched him disappear down the stairs before a particularly strong blow made her stumble. He was going out to face whoever was causing _this_? It was like the earthquakes all over again. She tried to look down to the stables, where she knew the knights would already be gathering, but the archers blocked her.

She pressed her lips in a firm line. She knew one place she could go to get a better view of what was going on.

.~.

Merlin actually managed to stay on his feet this time. As soon as the pressure eased from his head, he cast his eyes around until they landed on the sentry who held a spear unsurely.

"_Cyntun,_" he muttered, eyes briefly flashing gold as the man slumped forward and his eyes fluttered shut. The sleep spell Merlin had chosen produced many dreams. So hopefully, when the man awoke he wouldn't realize he had seen the prince's manservant.

"So, any idea how to do this?" Anye asked him, walking to the wall to survey the most recent damage.

"Ideas? Yes. Ideas that will work?" he left it there. He stood in the center of the tower and placed the staff in front of him, resting the end on the stone floor and gripping it with both hands. "Come here. Take the staff."

She did as ordered, gripping the staff just above Merlin's hands.

"This staff takes my magic," he explained the best he could. "Then...channels it."

She nodded slowly. "If this works," she told him slowly, "it will be more power than I'm used to holding. If I'm able to hold it at all," she amended. "It will probably take all of my focus." When Merlin took a deep breath and closed his eyes, she did the same.

The crystal atop the staff glowed as Merlin reached for his power. Normally he would then send his power out through the staff, but he held it back, pulsing inside the staff. He couldn't give it much. He could feel the limits in the magical wood and crystal.

A sharp gasp escaped Aye, but Merlin kept his eyes closed as he focused on holding the magic in the staff.

"_Amddiffyn,"_ Anye whispered.

Instantly, Merlin felt the power in the staff drain away. He focused on keeping a steady stream of power passing through the staff as Anye channeled it into her spell.

Several minutes later, when the power stopped draining from the staff, Merlin blinked his eyes open. The crystal continued to glow brightly, making Merlin's eyes water slightly. When his eyes finally adjusted, he turned his gaze outward towards the city and they widened in shock.

"It worked," he muttered. All around the city, in every direction he turned, he could see the faint shimmer of a magical barrier. It stretched up and over his head like a giant dome. "Anye—" he turned to look at her, but paused when he saw that her eyes were still closed, clenched slightly and her brow was furrowed. Her hands trembled slightly, still clasped around the staff.

Cautiously, Merlin slowly released his grip on the staff, not knowing exactly what was going to happen. But the crystal's glow still shone and the barrier stayed in place. Anye did not so much as twitch in recognition of him severing the connection. The power was in place. Now all she had to do was will it to stay there.

The tower door suddenly slammed open, and Merlin snapped his head to the side.

Gwen took three full steps onto the tower before freezing in shock at the sight of the two individuals in front of her.


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N: Hey everyone! Just a brief reminder before this next chapter: This fic is set after Season **_**2.**_ **:)**

**Enjoy!**

**~Syd**

Chapter Thirteen

Gwen's eyes immediately found Merlin's wide ones, trying to make sense of the situation, but when he offered no answer, her eyes fell to Anye, and the obviously magical staff she held.

"Stop it!" she shouted bravely, despite the slight quiver in her voice. She ran at Anye, most likely to attempt to wrench the staff away from her.

Merlin met her several steps away and held her back. Gwen ceased instantly, looking up at him in complete confusion before looking back at Anye again.

"Merlin, don't you see?" she asked. "She must be the one behind these attacks!" she needlessly indicated Anye with an incline of her head, since Merlin still had a firm hold on her arms.

"Gwen, you're just going to have to trust me," Merlin answered, heart racing. "Anye is not the one behind this."

She swiveled in his grasp to stare at him. "_Anye?_"

Merlin winced.

"_That's_ Anye? The one who _attacked _Arthur?" But she didn't struggle, just continued to look back and forth between the two of them.

"Um…yes," Merlin admitted reluctantly. "But she's on our side this time. She's _helping_ us."

"How do you know?" Gwen nearly demanded. She trusted Merlin, but sometimes he just trusted too easily. "How do you know she's not part of this?"

"Gwen, think. Have you felt anymore of those blows strike the castle in the last few minutes?"

Gwen paused, staring at the ground as she waited for a blow that never came. Slowly her eyes raised to Merlin's again. "It's stopped," she said at last.

Merlin nodded. "_Anye_ has put up a barrier," he explained—partially. "She's blocking the attack."

"B—" She paused again, still trying to make sense of what was happening. "But why are _you_ here? How do you know any of this?"

"Well…" Merlin's brain scrambled for an excuse. "She needed—that is, I found her up here, and…she told me what she was going to do, so I wouldn't stop her." He almost winced. That explanation sounded horrible even in his own ears.

Sure enough, Gwen looked at him skeptically. "But, why would she tell _you?_ And why would you believe her? And what were you even doing up here? And how would you stop her anyway? And how would—" She froze again, and her eyes grew huge. "Oh my goodness," she whispered at last. "Oh my…oh my. You. It's been _you._ _You're_ Emrys!"

Merlin should have denied it, but a groan bubbled to the surface before he could suppress it, and that was confirmation enough.

"You are, aren't you?" she asked again, her own hands gripping Merlin's arms. His hands tightened their hold momentarily, before his grip slackened and he released her, sure she wasn't going to stop Anye anymore. Mutely, he nodded.

"All this time…" she continued, staring at him. "All this time _you've_ been the one protecting us. And you never said a word."

"I'm sorry," he muttered.

"For what?"

He looked at her blankly for a moment. "I don't know," he said at last, "it just seems like something I'm supposed so say."

She continued to stare at him, then slowly smiled. The smile flickered. "But…but why haven't you told Arthur? You know he trusts you. But he still doesn't know, does he?"

Nervously, Merlin's eyes flickered to Anye, really not knowing what to believe about Arthur's knowledge or lack of knowledge anymore. He let out a deep sigh. "It's a long, complicated story," he finally said. "But now is not the time. Anye is not going to be able to hold that barrier forever." He paused and looked awkwardly at Guinevere. "Gwen…I don't really know how to ask this, but…"

"Look," Gwen answered, correctly interpreting his unasked question, "I'm certainly not going to turn you in to Uther. And I _probably_ won't tell Arthur, but for now, I'll help you with…_this," _she gestured to the general direction of the attack, "in any way I can."

Merlin nodded. It was good enough for him—for now. They'd have plenty of time to talk later.

Gwen frowned and reached up to gently touch the grazed wound on the side of his head. "How did you get this?" she asked, worried.

"Never mind, it's not important."

Reluctantly, Gwen lowered her hand and nodded her agreement. Whatever had happened, at least he was ok now. "You're _sure_ we can trust her?" Gwen asked instead, looking uncertainly at Anye. "She did try to kill you, you know."

"I trust her," he said firmly. "Do you trust me?"

"Always," was the immediate answer.

.~.

"I wish I knew what to tell you," Gaius said honestly. He was worried. Tremendously worried. "But Merlin didn't tell me anything. When those blasts woke me up, he was just gone."

"And you have no idea where he might have gone?"

"Oh, I've an idea, all right," was the physician's answer. "But it's not one that's going to help us."

"You think he went to fight the sorcerers?"

Gaius shook his head. "No. I think he went to talk to them. But given this attack…" he closed his eyes for a moment, trying not to think of what this attack implied about Merlin's attempts.

Just then, the door flew open, and both sets of eyes flew to the two individuals who came barreling in.

"Merlin!" Gaius called in relief, then he schooled his relief when he saw Guinevere. "I wondered where you'd disappeared to," he said casually, trying not to let the sheer weightiness of his relief show.

Gwen looked hesitantly between Merlin, Gaius, and Leon.

Leon looked hesitantly between Merlin, Gaius, and Gwen.

Merlin just sighed and shut the door. "It's all right," he said shortly, "everyone here knows."

Gaius's eyes narrowed while both Gwen's and Leon's widened. "Knows what?" the physician asked.

"Me. Magic. Emrys." He shrugged.

"Merlin!" Gaius shouted. He took the few steps forward before clipping the boy on the back of the head. "How many times have I told you—"

"My magic is a secret to be guarded with my life," Merlin recited automatically. "It's not _my_ fault." Gaius gave him the stern eye for several more heartbeats, but then without warning pulled Merlin into a hug.

"You idiot," he whispered.

"_Leon_ knows?" Guinevere asked. "Why does _Leon_ know before Arthur?"

Merlin winced. "That's another long story," he told her. "One that we really don't have time for." He turned to Gaius and Leon. "Anye has joined our defense," he told them shortly, much to their surprise. "Right now, she's holding a massive barrier around the entire city, but she's not going to be able to hold it forever."

Gaius's eyebrows disappeared into his hairline. "The entire city," he repeated slowly. "Merlin, that's impossible."

Merlin shook his head. "Not impossible," he answered. "Just…highly improbably under normal circumstances…"

"Merlin," Gaius began sternly, "what did you do? No normal sorceress would have that kind of power."

He grimaced. "Well…she didn't have the power to do it herself…"

"_Merlin."_

"So I sort of lent her mine."

All three were stunned into shocked silence. "How is that even possible?" Gaius asked at last.

Merlin shook his head. "Never _mind_ how we did it. It worked, didn't it? Right now, we have to figure out our next move. Anye is not used to holding so much power, I have no idea how long this barrier is going to last."

"So we go out and fight them," Leon inputted. "We bring the knights, and you, and we put an end to this battle."

"It's too dangerous," Gaius answered.

"And the knights have already left," Gwen pointed out, brow creasing in worry.

"No they didn't," Merlin answered confidently. "The barrier doesn't just stop people from coming in. It stops people from going out, as well."

"What if they made it out before the barrier was in place?" Gwen asked. "They could be trapped on the outside."

Merlin shook his head again. "No. I know how long it takes the knights to respond to an emergency. They didn't have enough time to get out." Leon nodded his agreement.

"So we fight them," Leon repeated, looking at Merlin. "You lead us through the barrier, and we attack when they least expect it."

"And how do you expect to do that without Merlin revealing himself?" Gaius asked with a raised eyebrow.

"He'll come as Emrys," was the automatic answer. "Arthur will listen, and the other knights will listen to Arthur."

"They'll think he's enchanted again," Gaius pointed out.

Leon shook his head. "None of the knights really believed that until Arthur himself admitted it," he informed them. "And the king won't be there to put doubts in their minds. They'll listen—if only out of sheer desperation."

"No." The denial was firm. All three turned and stared at Merlin in shock, not used to hearing such a commanding tone from him. "The knights are useless against an attack such as this. You'd all be slaughtered."

"We have to do _something_," Leon insisted.

"No," Merlin said again, "_I_ have to do something."

"Merlin, even you cannot face twenty-eight sorcerers alone," Gauis pointed out.

"I can try."

Gaius straightened up skeptically. "Then let me ask you this, where did you get that scrape on your head?"

Merlin paused for a split second. He'd forgotten about it—the pain was dull enough and easily ignored.

"Tripped and hit my head," he lied.

"You got it fighting these sorcerers," Gaius corrected. "Or am I wrong about where you disappeared to last night?"

Merlin remained silent for a long moment, gaze steadily fixed on his mentor. "I just went to talk to them," he amended. "I wasn't ready for a fight. This time I am."

"Merlin," Gaius half commanded, half begged. "_You. Cannot. Do. This. Alone."_

Merlin continued to stare at him, frustration beginning to bubble inside him.

"He's right, Merlin," Leon confirmed. Merlin shifted his gaze to the knight, then to Gwen. All three of them seemed determined to stop him.

"Then what would you have me do!" He demanded loudly. He rounded on Leon. "You said it yourself! We have to do _something!"_

"Yes, I did. _We_ have to do something."

"No!" Merlin protested, eyes narrowing in anger. He would _not_ let the knights throw their lives away. "It would be suicidal. _I_ at least have a means to defend myself. _You_ do not."

"Merlin," Gaius began, voice so hesitant that Merlin felt the anger drain out of him as he looked at him, waiting. "There is…one you could ask for help."

Merlin's eyes narrowed, his jaw clenched so tight they could see white lines appearing on his face. "No."

"Look, Merlin, I know you don't trust him—"

"I. Said. No." Merlin's eyes were dark, his tone leaving no room for argument. Gwen and Leon stared at him in utter confusion, both of them feeling for the first time a tiny spark of fear at just what Merlin was capable of.

"Then what do you suggest, Merlin?" Gaius asked reasonably. "You either lead the knights on a suicidal mission, or you go on a suicidal mission yourself. There is no version in these were Camelot comes out safe."

"Yes, maybe I'll die," Merlin finally admitted, "but not before I stop this. Camelot _will_ be safe."

"And afterwards?" Gaius continued. "Who will protect Camelot when you are dead?" Merlin remained silent.

"Merlin," Leon began. Merlin turned his head in the knight's direction in acknowledgement, but did not lift his gaze from the floor. "If there is someone who can help us, surely we must try."

"You don't know what he did," Merlin answered softly.

"No, I don't," Leon admitted, his tone alone indicating that changed nothing.

"Can we trust him, though?" Gwen asked reasonably. "Can we trust him not to turn on us?" Her question was directed to Merlin, but Gaius is the one who answered.

"We don't need to. Merlin here has complete control over him."

Leon and Gwen looked at each other in yet another moment of complete surprise, but their gaze soon returned to Merlin, waiting to hear his answer.

There was a long stretch of horribly uncomfortable silence, in which Merlin continued to stare at the floor. At last, Merlin lifted his eyes and looked steadily at each of them in turn.

"Very well," he said at last. "But this cannot be my decision." He strode to the door. "I will ask my king."

The door slowly thudded back into place after Merlin left.

"He's going to ask Uther?" Gwen asked.

Gaius slowly shook his head and sighed. "No," he countered. "Uther has never been Merlin's king."

"Then where is he going?" Leon asked.

"He's going to ask Arthur if he can summon the Great Dragon back to Camelot."


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter Fourteen

It seemed like forever before Arthur and the knights at lasted mounted their horses, fully armed, to face the enemy. But just as Arthur was about to kick his mount forward, he paused, eyes drawn to the sky over the castle.

The air began to shimmer with gold threads, looking almost like a giant spider web, and the gold quickly stretched outwards in all directions as the threads blended together to become a solid wall of gold high over their heads.

Were the sorcerers beginning another form of attack? "Let's move!" Arthur called, racing forwards. The knights obediently followed, some glancing anxiously overhead as the gold continued to spread. After a moment's riding, Arthur realized it was also lowering, curving inwards. He urged his horse faster, but whatever spell this was, it easily outstripped them. By the time they reached the city's edge, he was forced to reign in his horse and hold up his hand for a halt, an eerily familiar gold wall standing resolutely in his path.

Arthur dismounted and cautiously stepped forward. Already suspecting what would happen, he placed his hand forward until he laid his hand flat against the barrier. His palm tingled slightly. He cast his eyes in each direction, confirming that the barrier continued to stretch on, curving back around and—while he couldn't see it after a certain distance—he had no doubt that it encircled the whole of the city.

There would be no leaving right now.

These sorcerers must be trying to box them in. Arthur stared through the transparent wall towards the forest, jaw clenched in annoyance, where he could make out several figures among the trees. How were they supposed to fight people they couldn't even reach? But while he stared, hand still flat on the wall, the gold pulsed violently and a shock radiated up his entire arm, forcing him to yank his hand back.

As the tingling began to fade, the gold pulsed again, and Arthur frowned.

Several of the sorcerers stepped forward, stopping several steps in front of the tree line. They kept putting their hands out, and each time they did, the gold pulsed again.

And suddenly, Arthur found himself smiling.

This wasn't the sorcerers. This was _Merlin._ He was defending them. Somehow he'd managed to put up a barrier around the whole blasted city!

"Sire, what do we do now?"

Quickly, he schooled his expression before turning around to face Burik.

"We return to the castle, for now. There is nothing we can do here."

The horses were returned to the stables, and Arthur and the knights made their way back to the castle to regroup and figure out their next move. Arthur, for his part, wanted nothing more at that moment than to find Merlin and ask him what the heck was going on. Arthur couldn't deny that a very big bubble of relief swelled in his chest. He knew this was Merlin. He _knew _it. And that meant he was all right.

He needn't have worried about finding him, however. As they reached the steps, Merlin came out the castle doors.

Arthur's sheer relief disappeared with one look at him. There was a gash across the side of his head, and a very dark look on his face. Something was very, very wrong.

Quickly, Arthur ordered his knights to return to the wall. While they ran to do as told, Arthur held back, wondering vaguely if anyone noticed the un-Merlin-like look on the servant's face. But no, he was a servant. The few who glanced at him did not know him well enough to discern the change.

"I need to speak to you," Merlin said quietly when Arthur reached the top step.

Merlin probably expected Arthur to ride him off, sarcastically mentioning something about the seriousness of the situation and not having time for pointless distractions. Part of Arthur wondered if he should respond that way anyway, lest he give away his secret, but he couldn't bring himself to do it. Instead, he merely stopped in front of Merlin and nodded.

A mild surprise lit in Merlin's face, but he recovered quickly. "Come with me." He turned, and Arthur followed without question.

Arthur expected to be led to any unused room, but was surprised when Merlin passed several opportunities, and Arthur felt his gut clench in anxiety. At last, Merlin led him to the top of a long descent of stairs. When he took the first step down, Arthur grabbed his arm.

"Merlin, what are you _doing?_" Arthur demanded. He never knew where these stairs led, but his father had been clear about him never descending them. The one time he'd tried, his father had shackled him in the dungeons for two whole days in punishment, even though he'd only been eight years old. "No one is allowed down there!"

Merlin turned his steely gaze to Arthur, and in his surprise, Arthur released him. "The reason these stairs were guarded no longer exists," Merlin said cryptically. He then turned and continued his descent. Reluctantly, Arthur followed.

When they reached the bottom, Arthur felt his jaw drop.

They were in a huge, underground cavern. He looked down over the edge, but it descended into darkness. He looked up, and couldn't tell just how high it went, either.

"What is this place?" he breathed.

"This is the place your father kept the Great Dragon prisoner until he escaped." Arthur's eyes glued to Merlin, knowing something was coming. The steely edge to Merlin's face and voice softened as he took a deep breath, preparing himself. But his brow remained creased in a worry he did not even try to conceal. "Arthur," he began, "after Anye attacked, you asked me something. Do you remember what it was?"

Arthur felt his breath catch in his throat, but did his best to hide it. Not trusting his voice, he merely nodded.

"You asked me who my father was," Merlin answered, as though Arthur had shaken his head instead of nodded. "But I didn't tell you, I was too scared. I want you to know, Arthur, that this had nothing to do with trust. I trust you with my life. But _I_ wasn't ready. Do you understand?"

Still mute, Arthur nodded again, his lips pressed in a thin line. He could feel the blood drain from his face. Was this really it? Was Merlin going to tell him everything? His heart thumped violently in his ribcage.

"What I told Anye that day was the truth. Uther betrayed my father. And I also know that if Uther knew who my father was, he would order my death just the same. Whether or not I inherited my father's abilities would not have mattered. Simple suspicion would have been enough. And Arthur, I _did_ inherit his abilities."

Arthur swallowed.

Merlin studied him carefully, as several long moments of horrible silence stretched between them. At last, Merlin opened his mouth again, but his voice failed him. He took a deep breath, closing his eyes for a moment before opening them again.

"Arthur…Balinore was my father. And like him, I am a dragonlord."

Shock radiated through Arthur with enough force that he took a step back. Merlin's eyes saddened at the movement, but he remained in his position.

A dragonlord. _A dragonlord._ Arthur thought that he had understood. He'd known Merlin was a warlock, known that he was Emrys. But apparently, despite all the knowledge he had gained over the last weeks, Merlin could still surprise him. And for the first time in a while, Arthur began to wonder if he really understood anything at all

"You're a dragonlord," he managed at last.

"There's more." Arthur didn't respond, suspecting what was coming next. "You might hate me for this, and you would be right to. I know that I can never forgive myself."

Doubt flickered in Arthur's mind, not understanding.

"I am the one who released Kilgharrah from his prison here."

Cold ice gripped Arthur. Merlin had released the dragon. Merlin. _Emrys_. Camelot's greatest protector had caused so much death and destruction.

"_Why?_" was all he managed.

Merlin flinched as though he had been slapped. But he knew he had to give Arthur an answer. "I had no choice," he said, voice defeated. He sank to his knees. "I—I needed his help. Everyone was falling asleep and he made me _swear…_" He put his face in his hands, his words tumbling together. "My mother…" his voice trailed off, unable to continue.

Arthur struggled to make sense of the babbling. Falling asleep? Hunith?

He remembered when all of Camelot was falling asleep. How could he not? That was the day Morgana was taken from them, just shortly before the dragon had attacked. What those two events had to do with each other remained a mystery to him, despite Merlin's scattered response.

Arthur watched Merlin silently for several long moments. It was a while before he realized that Merlin was still waiting for a response. He'd forgotten for a moment that Merlin didn't know he'd already accepted him. One more piece of knowledge did not change that.

He sank in front of Merlin and put a hand on his shoulder. Merlin flinched again and lowered his hands, looking at Arthur with fear and self-loathing. One day Arthur would get a more coherent explanation out of Merlin, but right now there was really only one thing he needed to know. "You're the one who killed the dragon, aren't you?" And he knew, without Merlin answering, that he was right.

Merlin took another deep breath, and silently shook his head.

_Can I get _nothing_ right?_ Arthur demanded of himself.

"But neither did you," Merlin admitted. So the dragon was alive? Arthur waited. "That is why I've told you this. We need help to defeat these sorcerers. I can't—" he paused, closed his eyes tightly, and took another deep breath. "I don't think even Emrys can defeat them. Not alone."

It was then that Arthur went numb. So Merlin wasn't going to tell him after all. But…he had told him a great deal today. And he was still waiting for his prince's reaction.

"If _you_ wish it," Merlin continued, not looking Arthur in the eyes, "I can call Kilgharrah back. He will _not_ harm Camelot, for he is now strictly under my command. If you wish it, I will call him back to fight for us."

"And if I don't wish it?" Arthur asked softly.

Merlin still did not look at him. "Then I suppose Emrys will be on his own. We can only hope his power will be enough."

Arthur stood and paced along the ledge. Merlin remained kneeling, and Arthur wasn't sure if it was a sign of submission or sheer emotional exhaustion. "You're sure you can control him?" Arthur asked at last.

Merlin raised his eyes and nodded firmly. "If I speak to him as kin, he must obey my voice."

Arthur had no idea what that meant, but he stepped forward and offered Merlin a hand. Hesitantly, Merlin took the offered hand and allowed Arthur to pull him to his feet. "Then call him."

The surprise shown in Merlin's face for but a moment, but it faded to grim determination. He made to walk passed Arthur.

"I'll be coming with you, of course," Arthur finished, smiling at the look of horror on Merlin's face.

"No, Arthur, you can't."

Arthur's smile stretched into a mischievous grin. "What's the matter?" he asked. "Afraid the dragon will call you Emrys or something?"

Merlin's head whipped around so fast Arthur couldn't help but be surprised it didn't crack. "W-what?"

Arthur continued to grin. Merlin had taken a significant step towards him today. Trusting him with this knowledge was _huge._ And Arthur didn't have any trouble jumping the rest of the distance. It was time. _Finally time._ To put everything in the open.

"I've known for a while, Merlin," Arthur finally admitted, watching Merlin's eyes grow huge and his whole body tense. "But it was clear that you weren't ready for me to know, so I waited."

Merlin's body slowly relaxed, a small, relieved smile tucked at the corner of his mouth. "I sort of already suspected as much," he admitted.

Arthur nearly choked. "You _did?_ How on earth did you find out? I've been so careful!"

Merlin laughed. "I guess you could say a little birdie told me."

Arthur cursed. "I'm going to _kill_ Leon."

Merlin's eyed bugged out again. "Wait, _Leon_ knows that you know?" he demanded.

Arthur's eyes narrowed. "He's not the one who told you?"

"No!"

"Oh." Arthur ran a hand through his hair. "Oops."

"_He told me he wouldn't tell you!"_

"He didn't!" Arthur assured him. "I figured it out when you fought Anye."

"Oh."

"Wait, who told _you_ then?"

"Anye."

"_Anye?_"

"Ya…she's the one who warned me about this attack. She also helped me set up a barrier around the city."

Arthur stared at him. "Why is she _helping_ us?" he at last demanded.

"It's…kind of a long story," Merlin responded for what felt like the thousandth time that day. "But right now, I should summon Kilgharrah."

"I'm still coming with you," Arthur argued, flanking Merlin's heels as he began to ascend the stairs.

"It's too dangerous."

"I thought you said you had control over him."

"I do."

"Then what's so dangerous about it?"

Merlin paused on the steps and turned to face his friend. "The barrier Anye and I created stops anything from crossing it. I need to go _outside_ the barrier to call Kilgharrah. _You_ need to stay inside the city where it's safe." He turned and continued the long ascent.

Arthur watched him go several paces. "To hell with that!" he called at last, and jogged to catch up.

There was no way he was letting Merlin do this alone. Not this time.

**A/N: Tada! At last everyone knows that everyone else knows. Woohoo! I hope that chapter did not disappoint. :) In the meantime, prepare yourself for some serious action in the next few chapters. They do still have twenty-eight baddies to beat, after all.**

**Thanks for reading!**

**~Syd**


	15. Chapter 15

**A/N: Wow! What a fabulous response to the last chapter! Thank you all _so_ much for your support! I'm glad you liked the culmination of the reveal.**

**Onto Chapter Fifteen! Enjoy!**

**~Syd**

Chapter Fifteen

"Where are we going?" Arthur asked at last as he followed Merlin through the grass along the back side of the castle. "You do realize that the gate is _that_ way, don't you?" He jerked his thumb over his shoulder.

"And _you_ realize that just behind the gate are twenty-eight sorcerers that want both of us dead, don't you?"

"Are you telling me you know another way out?" Arthur asked as they approached the outer wall. "Why didn't you go this way when you snuck out last night?"

Merlin stopped and spun to face him. "You _did_ distract the guards on purpose!" he exclaimed. "I knew that was too convenient…"

Arthur grinned again. "Well you obviously are not very well practiced in sneaking out of the city, so I thought I'd give you some help."

"Oh, I am way more practiced than you know, Arthur."

"Well why _didn't _you go this way last night?" he asked again as Merlin turned to face the wall again.

Merlin put out a hand to stop Arthur, who had moved to step up to his side. Then he put his hand in front of him. _"Ffrwydro!_"A small section of the wall exploded, leaving a gap large enough for them slip through.

There was a moment's silence as the dust settled before Arthur responded. "I withdraw the question."

Several feet beyond the outer wall was the golden barrier, still shimmering in mockery at their attempt.

"How did you manage a shield this large, anyway? Weren't you having trouble with this barrier spell?"

Merlin looked at him strangely. "How did you know that?" Then his eyes narrowed accusingly. "Has Leon been reporting to you?"

Arthur snorted. "No. And not for lack of trying on my part." He paused, trying not to look sheepish and not entirely succeeding. "I was…_investigating_ what happened with the ice wyrm when you came back early, so…I was hiding under your bed when you were practicing."

"You were _what?_" Merlin shook his head but then froze as realization dawned. "That's why you were so dusty!" He grabbed Arthur's arm and pulled him forward, walking straight through the barrier. "Well, it's kind of hard to explain. But basically, I didn't have the skill, and Anye didn't have the power. So I supplied the power, and Anye helped focus it into a barrier. She's holding it in place even now."

"So…something like this," he waved back towards the barrier they were walking away from, "takes a lot of power, doesn't it?"

Merlin snorted. "That's a bit of an understatement."

The trip continued in a similar manner, both of them finally filling the other in on just what they'd missed the last few weeks. Merlin, in the meantime, remained constantly alert for any sign of the enemy, or—well—anyone. They continued steadily north.

When they'd gotten a fair distance from the city, Merlin put his head back and roared to the sky.

_Roared._ The back of Arthur's neck tingled from the sound of those foreign, powerful words coming from such a seemingly insignificant man. After he called the dragon, Merlin seemed to visibly wilt as his cautious gaze flickered to Arthur and then away again.

Arthur rolled his eyes. "Oh come on, Merlin," he exclaimed. "I'm hardly going to have you arrested _now_ after everything _else_ that's happened."

Merlin grinned sheepishly. "Sorry. It's not that," he admitted. "It's just…I've never done that in front of anyone before."

Arthur barked a laugh and then clapped Merlin on the back. "So, how long is this going to take?"

The dragonlord paused, eyes on the sky, as he listened for…something.

"Not long," he said at last. "He's not too far away."

"How do you know?"

"He just told me so."

Arthur blinked, then decided not to ask.

Indeed, it was only a few minutes later—long minutes, to be fair—that Arthur felt powerful bursts of wind and a huge shadow passed over them. Arthur looked up, shading his eyes against the sun when the massive form moved and at last landed in front of him. His knees felt like they had turned to water, and his mouth turned paper dry. Unconsciously, he gripped his sword hilt, prepared for anything.

The beast turned its huge golden eyes to him and stared for several long moments before turning to address his master.

His _master_, Arthur realized. He looked between the huge, powerful beast and the small man who seemed so powerless in comparison, and felt a new wave of awe towards his friend.

"Why have you summoned me, young warlock?" It spoke. It bloody _spoke!_ Not just some crazy mind-speak that only dragonlords could understand. He spoke in plain old everyday _English._ "You made your command quite clear that I was never to return here, on pain of death. Or have you forgotten?"

"I have not forgotten," Merlin said firmly. And once again, Arthur marveled at the sheer confidence in Merlin's voice, the hardness in his eyes as he gazed up at the dragon. "But urgent matters are taking place, and we need your help."

Again, the dragon turned its gaze to Arthur. "So, at last the young Pendragon knows of your gifts. The time you have longed for seems to have passed. Tell me, young warlock, does he know that you are the one who released me?"

Merlin's eyes hardened further, his jaw tightening in distrust. "Yes, he does," he informed the dragon. "And if you intend to hold information over me to negate my commands, you are sorely mistaken."

The dragon stretched its great neck to the sky. "I am not so foolish as to try to blackmail you."

"Sorcerers are attacking the city."

Kilgharrah turned his neck to the east. "Yes, so they are. I see that you have created a massive barrier for protection, foolishly draining the majority of your strength."

Arthur gaped. Was Merlin really that weakened right now? He looked closely at his friend, but could discern absolutely no physical sign to betray such a secret. But at Merlin's flickered glance, Arthur knew the dragon was right, which brought Arthur to the uncomfortable conclusion that Merlin was even better at hiding what was wrong with him than Arthur had realized.

"And you ask me what?" Kilgharrah asked. "To defend Uther? Will you so command me to help my enemy?"

Arthur could see Merlin's inward struggle. His friend had by no means forgiven the dragon for his attack. But Merlin reigned in his anger, and stuck to reason instead.

"I ask you to defend Camelot," Merlin countered. "I ask you to defend Albion and _her king_." He pointed dramatically to Arthur, much to the prince's confusion. There was still so much Merlin had to tell him, so many questions Arthur had. But they didn't have time. Not now. _Albion_, Arthur repeated the unfamiliar word in his head. And he was its king? He felt a significance he did not truly understand.

The dragon seemed to seethe at the words. He even stomped a massive clawed foot on the earth. "Albion cannot be so long as Uther is king! I have told you before. For the age of Albion to dawn, Uther's reign must come to an end."

Merlin's eyes flashed his own impatience. "It is not only _Uther_ who will suffer if this attack succeeds! The same was true when _you_ attacked!"

Arthur put a hand on Merlin's shoulder to still him, earning two sets of questioning eyes before he turned to meet the larger set. "Kilgharrah, may I speak?"

The dragon slowly blinked before he at last inclined his head.

"My father…has made many mistakes. _I_ have made many mistakes. It was wrong of him to betray Balinore, and it was wrong of him to imprison you. I can hardly blame you for attacking us when we have wronged you so greatly." He paused and licked his suddenly dry lips. It was unnerving to speak with such great golden eyes staring at him. But he gathered his courage and nodded to the stunned warlock at his side. "But Merlin here, he has spent his life trying to do _right_ by _everyone_. He is no great friend of my father." That was a sad truth, but one that Arthur had long come to terms with, by now. "Yet he has shown mercy even to him."

Steam blew out of the dragon's nostrils as he let out a breath. Something Arthur had said seemed to resonate with him as he lowered his head until he was at the same level as the prince. "Yes," he said at last, "I, too, have known the mercy your companion freely bestows."

Arthur nodded his understanding. He could feel Merlin's eyes boring a hole into him, but the warlock said nothing.

"Then I ask you," Arthur continued. "You attacked Camelot for the sins of one man. Are you willing to save it for the goodness of another?"

"Arthur…" the quiet name came off of Merlin's lips. Arthur turned to meet his eyes, and was surprised to find them, not embarrassed, or even grateful, but dark and regretful. He slowly shook his head and averted his eyes from the prince. "You don't…if you knew the mistakes I've made…"

"Everyone makes mistakes, Merlin," Arthur said softly, and Merlin once again raised haunted eyes to meet his. "What's important is that you learn from them, and do everything in your power to make things right. There's a lot I don't know. About you, about everything that's happened these last few years. But I don't care. _You_ are everything that is good and right in this world."

Kilgharrah turned his eyes briefly to Merlin, then returned his gaze to Arthur. "Young Pendragon, do you know what Albion is?" Arthur turned his attention back to the dragon. Mutely, he shook his head, and the dragon's mouth stretched in what Arthur could only call a smile. "I feel you will shortly. The time for the Once and Future King draws near." After that cryptic statement, Kilgharrah turned his attention to Merlin. "It was not Camelot that showed me mercy, young warlock. Neither was it the King of Ages. My loyalties do not lie with them."

While Arthur feared that a denial, maybe even a threat, Merlin's shoulders relaxed into something like understanding. "I know," he said softly. "Do they lie with me?"

"Yes, great one. My loyalties lie with you."

Merlin nodded in heavy acceptance. "Then let us fight."

"Yes!" Arthur punched the air in anticipation. "Let's fight!"

Merlin turned and glared at him. "What makes you think _you're_ coming?" He demanded, all majesty and solemnity vanishing.

Arthur returned the glare. "What makes you think you can stop me?"

Merlin raised his eyebrows. "Magic, remember?"

Arthur wilted slightly, then bristled. "You wouldn't dare!"

"Care to try me?"

"Merlin!"

"You. Are. Not. Coming."

"Yes. I. Am."

"Arthur! Stop being so difficult!"

"_Me_ being difficult? _You're _being difficult!"

"I let you come meet Kilgharrah, but this is as far as you go! It's time for you to go back to the castle!"

"I don't want to!"

"If I may interrupt this squabble," Kilgharrah inserted. "The two of you are behaving like hatchlings."

"Are not!" Merlin and Arthur chorused.

"How on earth do you plan on defending yourself?" Merlin demanded of Arthur.

"I could say the same to you," Arthur countered. "That barrier is sapping your strength—Kilgharrah said so. And don't you try to deny it!" he insisted as Merlin opened his mouth to do just that.

Merlin sighed in exasperation. "Ok, you're right," he said at last. "I'm not as strong as I usually am. But don't you get it? Because of that, I can't afford to be worrying about protecting you. If you come, you'll only be in my way."

It was harsh, but it was true. And Arthur hated it.

"I can defend myself," he countered. Merlin just looked at him skeptically before Arthur finally sighed. "Ok, maybe I can't," he at last admitted. "But you shouldn't be facing them alone."

"He will not be alone," Kilgharrah inserted, seemingly not liking being forgotten. "And I will offer the warlock much greater protection than you could in this battle."

Arthur grappled around for any other reason, but realized that he had none. And Merlin was right. He _would_ just be in the way. And knowing Merlin, he'd get himself killed by physically throwing himself in the path of an attack. He'd done it before, Arthur remembered as his eyes lingered over the warlock's shirt, where a large patch of scar tissue was hidden.

"Promise me you'll come back alive," Arthur ordered.

Merlin smiled. "Of course. What do you take me for?"

"An idiot," Arthur responded immediately.

"Prat."

They both grinned, then Arthur's grin faded as Merlin stepped up to Kilgharrah and scrambled up onto his back. Arthur swallowed hard at the sight of the young man atop the dragon, sunlight making the two of them almost glow. At last, Arthur saw with his own eyes something he had already accepted, but something he had never fully comprehended until his eyes gave him the image to match his thoughts.

Before him sat Merlin Emrys. Servant, warlock, dragonlord, friend.

Merlin turned his blue eyes to Arthur, nodded once, then he and Kilgharrah rose into the sky and flew east, just over the treetops.

Ready for battle. Ready for blood.

**A/N: I had planned on starting the battle this chapter, but I changed my mind when I realized that would just make this chapter too long. So the battle will begin next chapter! Yay for action!**

**I hope you liked the Merlin/Kilgharrah reconciliation. I really wanted to make it different than the way they did it in season 3. Not because I didn't like what they did (I actually really did) but just to make this different, to make it _mine._ That's why I gave Arthur such a prominent role in the reconciliation. So I hope I succeeded.**

**Thanks for reading, as always!**

**~Syd**


	16. Chapter 16

**A/N: Awk. Guess I finally broke my once-a-week update schedule, huh? But I was doing so well! Sigh. Well, sorry about that. This chapter was actually exceedingly difficult for me, for some reason. I ended up scrapping a significant chunk of it and rewriting it, as I just didn't like where it was going. Thankfully, I like this version _much_ better and am quite satisfied with it. I hope you like it, too! Hopefully next chapter will come a bit more easily.**

**So here we go!**

**~Syd**

Chapter Sixteen

Merlin felt his stomach drop as Kilgharrah lurched into the air with great thrusts of his wings. They stayed just barely over the trees, and the warm air rushed passed them through the short distance. Merlin relished the feeling, the wind against his face making him squint his eyes, the dragon beneath him radiating with his inner fire. Merlin felt alive. He felt _free_.

Was this how Kilgharrah felt every time he flew through the sky? No wonder he'd been so angry about being chained in an underground cavern.

But he forced himself to focus. There were more important things at hand than the elation of flight. In no time at all, dragon and dragonlord had circled around to the point of attack and looked down at the enemy below them.

Several of the sorcerers were beyond the tree line, firing openly at the magical shield that stood resolutely in their path. Kilgharrah soared over their heads, and one of them shouted some sort of instructions. But before they could mount any form of attack, or even defense, Merlin felt heat surge beneath him as the dragon unleashed all his blazing glory. Those in the open disappeared in a wall of flame.

As the fire ceased and Kilgharrah flew in a sharp turn, Merlin noted seven piles of ash, bone, and charred flesh that released a steady stream of black smoke amidst the scorched ground. His stomach churned.

He didn't _want_ this.

But he had tried to reason with them, and they had seen fit to attack his friends and his home anyway.

Though Merlin, thinking of Anye, sincerely hoped none of those seven were Kallen.

Kilgharrah roared, and Merlin felt the shock radiate through the beast's large body as a large blast of energy hit the dragon's belly. Several additional blasts followed pelting them from the safety of the trees. But a dragon was not so easy to bring down. As he completed his turn, he unleashed another wave of fire into the trees that sheltered their enemy.

Many of the trees disintegrated to ash in the intense heat, but many more simply stood like torches in the forest. Merlin allowed his power to well up inside of him, then _ripped_ the remaining trees in the chosen area from their massive roots, slinging them behind them until they smashed against the barrier.

A dozen or so sorcerers stood, exposed now that their shelter had been destroyed. A large blue barrier shimmered around them, explaining how they had survived Kilgharrah's attack.

Merlin sent a blast of energy towards their shield, but it was simply deflected. Merlin could keenly feel his own limitations in his weakened state. Kilgharrah, turning again, sent another wave of fire in their direction.

Six of the sorcerers raised their hands in unison, and the shield pulsed as the fire hit it, strengthened by their combined efforts. Merlin took the moment the fire cleared to count just how many there were.

Eleven. Eleven sorcerers fighting, and seven dead. Where were the others? Waiting to ambush them?

The five who were not focusing on their shields formed a semicircle. Together, a pool of energy formed between them, and they launched it as a single attack at Kilgharrah.

Kilgharrah weaved to the side, dodging the blow, and Merlin had to wonder how much effect six sorcerers working together would have on a dragon. Kilgharrah may be a creature of magic, but even he was not invincible.

Suddenly, they launched three attacks in rapid succession. Kilgharrah, unused to a passenger on his back, turned on his side to dodge the final blast, and Merlin felt himself tip from the dragon's back. With a cry or alarm, he fell what felt like a long, significant distance to the ground, only just managing to cushion his landing with a sudden burst of magic to slow his descent.

The five attacking sorcerers instantly turned their attention to him.

.~.

The moment Merlin flew off with Kilgharrah, Arthur looked once back towards the castle. He knew the barrier wouldn't stand in his way to return. Merlin had already led him through it. And just as Anye had enabled Merlin to pass through her barriers to act as messenger those weeks ago, so now Arthur would be able to pass through.

But Arthur's face creased in determination and he resolutely turned his back on the castle.

Instead, he ran east as fast as his legs would carry him.

It wasn't long before smoke rose into the brightly lit sky before him, and sounds of a battle could be heard ringing through the air. Arthur urged his legs to move faster.

.~.

Not having time to construct a proper shield, Merlin instinctively thrust his energy forward to combat the attack, deflecting the first spell, then the second. He dove sideways to dodge the third, but that was a mistake.

By the time he got to his feet again, the attackers' semi circle had shifted, and as he turned to escape, they completed the circle around him.

Merlin raised his hands, and flicked his eyes around constantly, never able to get an angle where he could view all five of them at once. The six who were focusing on protection circled him too, but they faced Kilgharrah.

"Call off your dragon, Emrys," a man Merlin only vaguely recognized from their previous meeting in the forest commanded. If Merlin remembered right, his name was Ranim. Overhead, Kilgharrah roared his anger, great wings flapping to keep him airborne and in place. He could not attack without harming his lord, as well—the circle was too close.

"Ranim, how nice to see you again."

"Call off your dragon!" he repeated. "He cannot act against us now!"

"You overestimate his value of my life," Merlin answered.

"If that were true, he would have already attacked by now."

"True. Then you overestimate my value of my own life," he countered, which caused a ripple of uncertainty throughout the group. "I have but to say the word, and all of us will burn, just like your friends over there," he nodded towards the mentioned victims.

"Our shields have proven a match for his fire," Ranim responded.

"You can't defend against him forever," Merlin pointed out. Silently, Merlin commanded Kilgharrah to attack, and the dragon hesitantly obeyed. As the six sorcerers again raised a shield together and the other five merely flinched in obvious nerves, Merlin studied them carefully, and confirmed his suspicion. They were not using Anye's anchoring technique. They weren't even using the same spell. It was more like a version of what he'd done before, _pushing_ the energy of the attack away, and combining their strengths to do it. "Plus," he added. "Kilgharrah's not the only one you need to worry about."

Merlin closed his eyes for just a moment, gathering himself. When he opened them, they blazed gold and a silent pulse spread out from him in a circular wave, and each of the enemy went flying backwards.

The half closest to Kilgharrah were ash and smoke a moment later.

.~.

Arthur inhaled sharply from his hiding place.

Merlin hadn't said a word. He hadn't even _moved._ And yet he just knocked eleven powerful sorcerers on their backs. All despite being weakened by supplying power to a barrier that encased an entire city.

The bumbling manservant was gone. In his place stood Emrys, every bit as powerful as Arthur had ever dared to imagine. And despite the fact that the dragon immediately encased over half of them in fire, somehow Merlin still seemed more impressive.

Kilgharrah landed just behind Merlin, and only two sorcerers got to their feet. The others—those not burned to ash—remained on the ground. Whether they were unconscious or dead, Arthur had no idea. Kilgharrah's tail twitched threateningly, but Merlin placed a calming hand on his hide. "You've lost," he stated firmly, looking at each of them in turn. His eyes lingered over the older woman, eyes softening in—recognition? Something in Merlin visibly relaxed at the sight of her.

"I don't want to hurt you, Ima," he continued. "Return to your homes. Kilgharrah and I will not follow."

Ima took a step forward. "You would grant us mercy?" she asked calmly, studying him carefully. "After we have attacked your home?"

And the tension inside Merlin eased even further. He stepped forward to meet her. "We fight for the same thing," he informed her. "Our freedom. I never wanted to hurt any of you. But I told you before. I cannot allow Camelot to be harmed."

Ima nodded slowly. She glanced briefly behind her at the other standing man before returning her gaze to the warlock in front of her. "Perhaps Albion is not lost, after all," she commented almost casually. "If you are still fighting for us." She turned to her companion. "Let us see if any of our friends live, and then let us go home. We are done here."

Arthur watched, suspicious, as the two went to the first of their four remaining companions, but a slight movement in the corner of his eyes caught his attention, years of battle training having taught him to pay attention to the slightest motion.

Ranim slowly stood, dark eyes fixed on Merlin. His hand rose, pointing at the warlock's back. Arthur's eyes widened as he realized that Merlin had _his _eyes on Ima and the other, and did not see the threat.

So when Ranim began to mutter some indecipherable words under his breath, Arthur sprinted from his hiding place behind a boulder and tackled the cowardly enemy. The ground three feet to Merlin's left received the magical blow instead and exploded into a small crater.

Arthur rolled from the momentum of the tackle and came to his feet again. Ranim quickly gained his feet as well, and Arthur drew his sword to level it at the man.

Suddenly, the metal of the hilt scorched his hand and he was forced to drop the weapon. At the same time, a pair of hands grabbed him, one locking through both his arms, keeping them pinned behind his back, the other lightly grabbed his throat.

Apparently, Ranim wasn't the only one who hadn't been entirely knocked out.

The hand at his throat held no weapon, but Arthur had no delusions about that being any indication of safety. The man could likely burn a hole through his throat if he wished with just a few words. Or possibly just blow up his head. Needless to say, Arthur did not like these thoughts…He stood stock still.

"Let him go!" Merlin ordered, eyes blazing in anger, and Arthur realized that even when Merlin's eyes remained blue, there was still a dangerous power to them. Kilgharrah roared again, but Merlin stilled him with but a gesture of his hand.

"Ranim! Jara! What do you think you are doing?" Ima demanded. "Emrys grants us mercy and yet you attack him from behind? Where is your honor!"

"You're a fool!" The man holding him—Jara—declared. "You really think Emrys is letting us _go?_ He'd just wait until our backs were turned and kill us!"

Merlin groaned. "If I wanted to kill you you'd be _dead!"_ he shouted.

"Liar!"

"Take a look at your companions, then!" Merlin shouted angrily, motioning to the remaining two sorcerers who remained on the ground. "They're _alive_. You're _all_ alive because I _didn't kill you!"_

"You killed them!" Ranim shouted, pointing to Kilgharrah's many victims.

Merlin sighed. "Yes," he admitted, "well, Kilgharrah has a bit more difficulty making his attacks non-lethal."

"Jara, release the King!" Ima commanded, much to Arthur's surprise. If the druids called him king, they must know of this…Albion…as well. "I am your elder. You must defer to me. Release him _now."_

"Ima, maybe we should listen to them," the third standing sorcerer inserted timidly. "He's already killed most of us. Why would he let us go, now?"

"Because we are no longer a threat to him, Lief," Ima pointed out. "How can the few of us face Emrys and the dragon when our whole group could not do so together?"

"But now we have _him!_" Ranim shouted, gesturing towards the captured Arthur. "Even if the others fail, at least one Pendragon will die tonight!"

_The others._ Arthur felt his stomach drop. He caught Merlin's momentarily widened eyes and knew he'd realized the same thing: there was another group. But where? Doing what?

"If you kill Arthur, Albion dies with him!" Merlin's voice split in his anger at their stupidity.

"_No_ Pendragon will ever be my king!" Ranim shouted. "It _cannot_ be him!"

"Thenyou are the fool," Ima answered. "Emrys was right. The young Pendragon is the King." Both Merlin and Arthur's eyes snapped to her in surprise. "Don't you see?" she asked, taking a step forward. "The only reason he is here to _be_ your hostage is because he stopped _you_ from killing Emrys! Uther would never have saved a magical being. Yet Arthur has placed himself in such danger to do just that."

"So he's found himself a magical pet," Jara sneered. Arthur felt his skin bubble in anger at the insinuation. A pet? How dare he! He'd _never_ manipulate Merlin like that! As if he even _could!_ "That just makes him a hypocrite in addition to a murderer."

"Ima…" Lief said hesitantly, clearly being swayed by Jara's words.

"No," Ima interrupted, turning to the man at her side. "This is wrong, Lief. I _knew_ this was wrong. I've felt it ever since Emrys came to speak to us, yet I said nothing when Kallen made his demand. But no more. Arthur Pendragon is our King. We must trust in the prophecies once again." She turned her attention again to Jara. "Now, _release him."_

"I would rather die!" With that, Arthur felt the hand around his throat suddenly clamp down in an iron grip, cutting off Arthur's airway. Next came searing pain as the hand _burned_ him, but his lung could move no air passed his constricted throat to scream. He tried to pry the fingers away, but as his brain registered the lack of oxygen, his fingers became weak.

Jara began to mutter something. "_Dirwas—"_

"_Concisus deputo!" _A reverberating scream followed immediately that Arthur could barely register as Merlin's.

The hand on Arthur's throat suddenly slackened. But Arthur, vision turning black, had come to rely on that hand to hold him up, and he felt himself falling. By the time he hit the ground, he was sure this was the end.

**A/N: What did you think? Like I said, this chapter gave me some difficulty. Detailed battle scenes have never come particularly natural to me, which is why it took me longer to get this out. I really think I like how it turned out, though, so I really hope I didn't disappoint. I'd love some feedback, as usual. Let me know what you thought.**

**~Syd**


	17. Chapter 17

**A/N: All right, good news and bad news. The good news: I've been on a SERIOUS writing kick lately! I'm spending so much time writing it's ridiculous. Bad news: that writing has not been fanfiction. I revisited an old idea of mine and am reconstructing it. Hoping to finish the first book (there will probably be two) in about a year, and then who knows? Maybe I'll actually get published! (Hey, I can dream, right?)**

**_Anyway._ All that to say: there's the reason for the delayed update. I'm going to revamp my fanfiction efforts though. I am really excited to see this story finally wrap up. :) And I know you are anxiously awaiting the conclusion. No, this is not it, yet. We still have several more chapters. But we _are_ getting down there.**

**~Syd**

Chapter Seventeen

"Perhaps you should go."

"I'm not just going to leave him."

"We don't know how long until he regains consciousness."

"Can't you heal him any faster?"

"There is only so much that can be done before time must do its part."

"We don't _have_ time."

"Then go. I will protect the king with my life. I swear it."

"His safety is my responsibility. Not yours."

"But so is Camelot's."

Arthur's head swam. He could hear two voices. One of them was vaguely familiar, but he could not place it. He groaned, trying to remember what had happened. But as the groan escaped him, the voices instantly stopped.

"Arthur?" That was the familiar one. An even more familiar sense of annoyance came with it. Annoyance? Why was Arthur annoyed? Oh. Because that was Merlin. Merlin equals annoyance. It was a generally accepted truth that Arthur had accepted.

_Idiot_, Arthur tried to say, but the word could not make it passed his throat. His throat felt raw, and his head ached with an intense pressure. Slowly, he blinked his eyes open.

"You're awake," Merlin commented. Arthur wished he could say something about the man's brilliant insight, but somehow he lacked the strength. What had happened?

"He is too weak to move." That was the other voice he had been hearing. Arthur slowly turned his eyes to find the face of an older woman, unfamiliar to him.

Arthur merely grunted. To protest what was in his opinion an obviously false statement, he shakily pushed himself into a sitting position, waving off Merlin's hands when he attempted to help. He took a quick calculation of his surroundings, and suddenly everything came back to him. He'd pushed that stupid sorcerer down, and then he'd been taken hostage against Merlin.

How backwards was that? Arthur had to mockingly ask himself.

Ranim and Jara. Those had been the two. Jara was easily found. He lay some five feet to Arthur's right, grey eyes staring blankly into the sky. The cause of his death was also easily noted. There was a wound on the center of his forehead. A stab wound? Arthur wondered? But that made no sense. No one here would use a blade—none except for him, and he certainly hadn't done it.

Ranim took longer to locate, but Arthur finally spotted a somewhat distant figure that must be him. Some thirty feet away lay another man. Arthur couldn't see his face but knew who it must be. He lay unmoving—dead as well, most likely.

The dragon was still sitting there, too—crouched along the ground some distance away, his long tail twitching like some kind of annoyed cat. The other man—Lief, had Ima called him?—stood a few paces back from Ima, as well.

Next Arthur took note of his own condition. Something was seriously wrong with his throat, and his head felt like it was going to explode. But apart from that? He flexed his hands and wiggled his toes. Nope, everything seemed to be working. And there were no stabbing jolts of pain to indicate any other injuries.

_What happened?_ He tried to ask. But again, while his throat moved, no sound came out except a strangled gurgle. He took a moment to collect himself, cleared his throat, and managed "'ppened?"

"It's best if you don't try to speak," the woman suggested. Arthur finally placed her as the woman who had switched sides and spoken for them. Ima. "I'm not sure exactly what Jara's intent was, but he damaged her throat a great deal."

_He was trying to blow up my head, you nitwit._ Aloud, he grunted what she would probably take as agreement.

Ima placed a hand gently against Arthur's damaged throat, much to the prince's discomfort. He looked at Merlin for assurance, and at his nod, Arthur forced himself to relax. A moment later he felt a cooling sensation against the hot skin and realized just what Ima was doing.

"As for what happened," Merlin finally answered the question Arthur had sort of asked, "I killed them."

Arthur shook his head slightly, and pointed to Merlin. _But you screamed,_ he thought loudly at him, as if that could make the warlock hear him. Merlin just looked confused. Arthur threw up his hand in defeat and just sat back to wait.

A few minutes later, Ima pulled her hand away. "Try to speak," she instructed, "but softly."

Arthur opened his mouth and softly posed his question. "But you screamed," he objected. He was surprised when the words actually came out. His throat still hurt something fierce, but at least he could talk.

"Ah." Merlin gestured to Ranim, still laying thirty paces away. "After I killed Jara, I had to deal with Ranim quickly, or he'd have…well. I didn't really mean to kill him, actually. But I guess my anger got the better of me."

Arthur narrowed his eyes and glared at him. Merlin was feeling guilty. Guilty! "You saved my life," he pointed out, feeling annoyed that he _had_ to point it out. Only Merlin would feel guilty about accidentally killing a member of the enemy.

Merlin heaved a sigh. "A life is still a life, Arthur."

Arthur slowly stood, wincing as his throat pulled with every slight twist of his head. His head continued to pound as well.

The barrier Merlin and Anye had created still glimmered gold around the city.

"How did you kill him?" he asked, indicating Jara.

"Um…a cutting spell. I stole that from Anye, too, come to think of it." He turned his attention to Ima, and his expression became much more serious. "Ima, where is the second attack force?"

Arthur's eyebrows shot into his hairline. Second attack force? Then he remembered. Jara had mentioned something about the "other" group. Or had it been Ranim? He couldn't remember anymore.

Ima lowered her gaze, but remained silent.

"Ima," Merlin implored her, "please."

She kept her gaze down. "When you face them, just remember that they are fighting for their very right to live," she said solemnly.

"I know," was the warlock's response. "Believe me, I know better than anyone."

"Which is why I was not speaking to you." Arthur started, and met the woman's eyes when she at last looked up. "Your majesty."

Slowly, Arthur nodded. "I will remember."

She nodded to him, then took a deep breath. "They're inside your barrier. Ten of them, including Kallen. They made their way inside just before we started firing from out here, so you actually sealed them in."

"What's their aim?" Arthur asked.

"Your father, primarily, but also you." Arthur's eyebrows raised. "How were we supposed to know you'd be _here?_" she demanded, but she schooled herself. "Our job was to keep all eyes of the soldiers on us. Then they were to sneak into the castle and assassinate the two of you, as well as your commanding officers."

"Why?" Merlin demanded. "When I came to you before, you didn't seem remotely interested in Arthur, and you never even mentioned his commanders. You just wanted Uther."

"If His Majesty," she indicated Arthur with an incline of her head, "is claiming to be the King of Albion—a claim they believe to be false—he is a threat to us. As for your senior officers, they are utterly loyal to the Pendragons. We figured they would do everything in their power to stop us, even if their monarchs were killed."

"You were right," Merlin confirmed. "But how do you expect to kill them all? They would realize something was going on. You'd have to take them all out simultaneously."

"The war council," Arthur breathed, and Ima confirmed his suspicion with a nod.

"What?" Merlin asked, looking at him.

"A magical threat that puts the knights and the army in a standstill?" Arthur asked pointedly. "What do you think my father's going to do? He'll call a meeting to discuss our defense options. My father, me, and the senior commanders all in one room. Probably Gaius, too." At the last name, Merlin stiffened.

"Except you're here," Ima pointed out. "Which they won't know until after they take that room. You have an advantage."

"Not much of one," Arthur admitted. He turned to Merlin. "We need to get back there. _Now._"

Merlin nodded. "Let's go, then," and he started walking back towards the main gate.

Arthur ran forward and grabbed his shoulder. "What the hell do you think you're doing?" he demanded.

"Um…going back. Wasn't that the plan?"

"So you're just going to walk in through the front gate after a very large magical duel?" Arthur demanded. "Where anyone could spot you?"

Merlin groaned and threw his arms down by his side like a petulant child. "What if I don't care anymore!" he shouted. "What if I'm tired of hiding! Let Uther execute me. I just want all this to be _done!_"

"You are _not_—" and Arthur's throat pulled at his shout, making him choke.

Merlin forced back a frustrated growl, knowing exactly what Arthur had been about to say. "All right," he said at last. "Fine. Ok. What do you suggest then?" he asked more reasonably. "Your father will be in that room with them. And Kallen _knows_ I'm Emrys, and he'll be in that room, too. Do you see _any_ version of this where I come out…anonymous?"

Arthur hesitated. "You could…wear your cloak…" he said uncertainly.

"Not if I'm going to try to reason with Kallen," he pointed out.

Arthur bit the inside of his cheek, thinking. "I don't suppose there's any way you can erase my father's memory after this?"

Merlin shook his head. "Not without erasing all his other memories, too."

"Ok, then the answer's simple."

"Which is?"

"I go in alone, and _I_ talk to them."

"Arthur!" Merlin scolded. "I am not letting you go into a room full of angry sorcerers and druids, by yourself, to try to talk sense to them!"

"And _I_ am not letting you be _executed._" There was a pain in Arthur's eyes as he grabbed both Merlin's shoulders that made Merlin hesitate. "Merlin, you are the best friend I have in this world. I am _not_ going to lose you."

"Arthur…"

The prince released him almost immediately, brushing off his jacket uncomfortably. "Plus, I told you before, it takes too much time to train a new servant. Time I don't have. So you're stuck with me. "

Merlin paused for a long moment. "Ok," he said at last. "But here's the deal. I stay right outside. If _anything_ looks like it's going even _remotely_ wrong, I come in—Uther or no Uther. Will that satisfy you?"

_No,_ Arthur wanted to say, but he stilled himself. It was the best plan of action they had. And he also knew that was the safest Merlin would _allow_ himself to stay.

"Fine," he said at last. "But you only come in if _absolutely necessary,"_ he countered. "You have to give me a chance to talk to them. Who knows, maybe I'll find a way to subtly knock my father out in the meantime."

Merlin snorted. He doubted that.

"You really are him, aren't you?" a quiet voice inserted. All eyes turned to the younger man who had not yet spoken since Arthur woke.

Arthur let out another sigh. "Look," he answered, "I really don't know what all this Albion business is about. Before today, I'd never even heard that word. But what I _do_ know, is that I will do right by you and your people. I just need time until I can make that happen."

Lief nodded slowly. "I understand," he said at last.

"All right," Merlin chimed when the silence stretched. "Let's head back the whole in the wall, where we came out. No one will have noticed it yet, with all this going on. It's our best way back in. Kilgharrah? I don't suppose you'd mind being a horse again, would you?"

"I am_ not_ a horse!" the dragon protested.

"So you'll do it, then?"

Kilgharrah grumbled, but obediently flattened himself to allow both Merlin and Arthur to climb up. Arthur hesitated as he reached the great, scaled body, and very gingerly touched his hide as though expecting it to burn him.

"I will not bite," Kilgharrah promised, causing Arthur to jump. He hadn't realized the sheer obviousness of his hesitation. Gritting his teeth, he reached up and took Merlin's hand, settling himself behind the warlock.

"You know my father's men will have spotted him, by now," Arthur told Merlin.

Merlin shrugged. "So the Great Dragon's still alive. What are they going to do about it?"

And Arthur had to admit he had a point.


	18. Chapter 18

**A/N: Getting so close! Probably just a few more chapters. I'm really not sure _exactly_ how many. As my planning tends to do one of two things:**

**One, "Oh, this section will definitely take a couple thousand words. Wait…what? It only took 400? Hm."**

**Two, "Ok, this section will be nice and short, just a little tidbit before transitioning. Oh, um, never mind. I guess that took an entire chapter…"**

**So! All that to say, we are indeed getting down to the end, but who knows just how many chapters we'll have left? I guess it's a mystery to us all.**

**On to the story!**

**~Syd**

Chapter Eighteen

"That was. The most. Terrifying. Experience of my life."

"Really?" Merlin exclaimed as he followed Arthur's hasty retreat to the ground. "I love flying!"

"I'll keep my feet firmly on the ground, thank you very much," Arthur countered, wiping nervous sweat from his forehead.

Merlin laughed, then turned to Kilgharrah. "Thank you, for helping us," he told the beast. "My friend," he added.

Was it possible for dragons to smile? Arthur hadn't yet decided, but he was pretty sure that's what Kilgharrah did at that statement. "It is truly an honor to serve you, young warlock. You and the King, both."

"You might want to get out of here. You can't exactly follow Arthur and me inside the castle."

The dragon turned his attention to Arthur, and Arthur thought he did very well holding his ground, but Kilgharrah still chuckled, no doubt sensing his persisting hesitation. "Your majesty, grant mercy to this enemy, and today will be forever remembered as your first great act of wisdom by the magical community. Tread carefully."

And with that, he was gone, without even waiting for a response.

"Does he always do that?" Arthur asked, squinting after him.

"What?"

"Say something…prophetic, only to disappear without answering any questions?"

"Oh that," Merlin answered. "Yup. Although believe it or not, he was a lot more annoying when he was chained up."

Arthur shook himself and turned to face Merlin and the barrier that stood between him and the castle wall with the gaping hole. "Shall we?" he asked.

But Merlin shook his head. "Not quite yet." And he promptly sat down in the grass.

"Merlin, _what_ are you doing?"

Merlin shushed him, and rather than answering, he reached out with his mind towards the castle, following the steady stream of his power through the shield and to its source, where it still pulsed from atop a high tower, flickering slightly with effort.

Arthur, oblivious to the silent exchange, folded his arms and waited, staring at Merlin with a quirked eyebrow. It was only a few moments later that he realized what the warlock was doing, however. Something in the air audibly _cracked_ and the golden barrier quickly receded inwards, far more quickly than it had spread upon its creation. There was a moment's silence as all was still, then something akin to a boom of thunder. A bare second later, something struck Merlin with a mighty momentum, and Arthur could have sworn the warlock had just been struck with lightning.

Merlin let out a shocked cry of pain and his eyes flew open wide, blazing gold, just before he doubled over in his sitting position. Arthur rushed forward and put a hand on Merlin's shoulder, only to yank his hand back as a shock radiated up his arm.

And then, just as quickly, Merlin was on his feet, staggering slightly until he became steady, and breathing heavily, but otherwise he seemed completely fine.

"What the _bloody hell_ just happened?" Arthur demanded, rubbing life back into his numb arm. Merlin held up a finger for him to wait, breathing deeply.

"Took my power back," he said simply. "Bit bigger of a shock than I expected it to be, but still. Back to normal, now."

"So…so you're back to full strength?" Arthur asked uncertainly.

Merlin shrugged. "Pretty much. I think I lost a bit of that power in the transfer, but I'm a heck of a lot better off than I was."

"What's happened to Anye, then? Is she going to join us?"

Merlin frowned. "I don't think so," he said after a moment's thought. "She helped me sever the connection, but _she's_ the one who's been holding that power all this time, and she's not exactly used to it. I can't hear her anymore. My guess is she probably collapsed as soon as the shield came down."

"Will she be all right?" Arthur asked, honestly concerned.

Merlin looked at Arthur strangely for a moment, then smiled. "Yes," he said at last, "I think she just needs rest."

Arthur frowned at Merlin's smile, wondering just what was so funny. But then he realized that he'd just openly shown care for a magical person—a magical person who was not Merlin, _and_ who was a former enemy of Camelot.

Oh how times had changed.

"Let's go then," Arthur ordered, and led the way through the hole in the wall back towards the castle.

.~.

Gwen jumped in surprise when a resounding crack split the air. The light on top of Anye's staff flashed so brightly she had to shield her eyes as her vision went black in protest. Blinking her tearing eyes rapidly, she peaked from around her arm and saw Anye's eyes were open and burning gold. Her brow was furrowed as though she were in pain, but her stance had not changed in the slightest.

Then the gold in the air, stretching out in every direction, seemed to shrink in upon itself. A sharp cry of pain escaped the sorceress, and a moment later there the sound of a loud explosion of thunder and Anye suddenly collapsed.

"Anye!" Gwen ran forward. The sorceress did not stir, even when Gwen knelt beside her and gently turned her over onto her back. For one terrifying moment, Gwen thought she was dead, but then she took note of the steady rise and fall of the fallen woman's chest. "Anye?" she asked gently.

Gwen looked out over the city towards where she knew the battle had been taking place. She'd seen the dragon arrive, and though she could not make out any human figures, she knew that Merlin was there too, fighting. And possibly Arthur as well. But now? The shield Anye and Merlin had worked so hard to create was gone. Guinevere could only hope that that was supposed to happen. She dreaded to think that something might have happened to Merlin.

The maid resituated herself until Anye's head was resting comfortably in her lap. She had been guarding the sorceress ever since Merlin had left—wanting to do _something _of use. If she could do nothing else, at least she could watch over their unlikely ally.

But she couldn't stop herself from looking out over the city again. "Please be all right," she whispered.

.~.

"What do you mean 'you can't find him?'" Uther demanded. "He rode out with you to face this attack. He came _back_ with you when we all got trapped by this cursed _thing_ in the air. And now he's upped and vanished?" He pounded his fist on the map-covered table, glowering at Leon. "Arthur would not simply disappear, not when the stakes are so high. Tell me: _where is he?"_

Leon gulped but stood his ground. "I'm sorry, Sire," he said, "but I really don't know where he is. The last thing he told me was that he had an idea but needed to track down some lead." The last part was, of course, a complete lie. The last thing he had heard from Arthur was "go find Merlin" before the knights had even ridden out. Still…_Merlin_ had an idea. So hopefully _something_ was still happening.

Something that involved the apparently not-dead Great Dragon returning to Camelot. Strange how Leon was actually _hoping_ for that now.

"Sire," Gaius inserted, "I'm sure Arthur is fine. This barrier won't let anyone cross it, so we know he has to be safe inside the city somewhere."

Uther seethed. "This _barrier_ was created by those cursed sorcerers. I highly doubt keeping the enemy prince safe and sound was their intent."

"Sire," Burik began, but hesitated.

"Speak, Sir Burik," Uther commanded. "It is your right."

"I'm not sure these sorcerers _did _create this barrier."

Leon's eyes snapped to the older knight. Of course _Leon_ knew that was true, but how had Burik figured it out?

"Explain," Uther demanded shortly.

Burik hesitated again. "We were at the city's edge when the shield went up," he explained. "As frustrated as the shield made us, the sorcerers didn't look too happy about it, either. They kept firing at it, like they were trying to bring it down."

"They were probably just fueling it with more magic."

Burik hesitated, then seemed to think better of his objection and nodded. "That is possible, of course." Leon was not at all convinced that Burik really thought so.

"What other explanation are you suggestion?" Uther demanded.

Burik hesitated again. Leon understood. There was only one other explanation: some other sorcerer (or warlock) had placed the barrier between them to halt the attack. But a magical defender was not an explanation Uther would even consider, and it would be close to treasonous to suggest such a thing. "Perhaps there is a third party in play," was what he said at last.

"We never did find Anye," Sir Owen pointed out. "And she certainly had some considerable skill with shields like this. She managed to keep us out of the great hall."

Uther's eyes hardened. "If she really has returned, she will rue the day she set foot in our borders. Her and her accomplice."

"Why would they be protecting us, though?" Owen asked. He seemed to realize his mistake the moment the words left his mouth, but it was too late.

"_Protecting us?" _Uther raged. "Do you really think a _sorceress_ would be protecting us?"

"Sire," Gaius inserted, trying to deflect the anger. "I'm sure Sir Owen is not suggestion any sort of magical alliance, but it _does_ appear that this third party—if there is a third party—is shielding us. Perhaps for some dark aim of their own, but we cannot deny that there is a glowing magical barrier between us and nearly thirty hostile sorcerers."

Calm, rational, and implication of the further evils of magic. Uther stilled at the suggestion, anger properly swayed.

"If there is a third party, we need to find out just who it is and what their purpose is," Uther said at last. "Sir Leon," Leon straightened, awaiting orders. "You are to find Arthur and bring him to me. We must make sure he is safe. Sir Burik, take command of the wall. Sir Owen, take a squad and investigate this barrier, all around the city if necessary. There must be something to indicate where it is originating from."

Leon made to follow his orders, but he never got the chance. The doors to the council room were suddenly thrust open. The three commanding officers all drew their swords instantly, forming a protective line in front of the king and the elderly Gaius, but they needn't have bothered.

It all happened so fast, Leon still wasn't entirely sure _what _had happened. But somehow, Leon, Burik, and Owen were all separated and slammed against the walls, one on each of three sides of the room. Leon grasped at his sword, but the weapon slipped from his hand as he was thrown. Now he hung there, dangling three feet above the floor, with a sorcerer staring at him earnestly, hand held out in front of him, presumably keeping Leon in his invisible bonds.

Burik and Owen were in similar predicaments on their own walls, each with another sorcerer staring unblinkingly at them. A moment later Gaius was thrust to the wall next to Leon. The knight found himself wincing in sympathy as the elderly man struck the stone. Gaius would feel those aches much more than he would come morning.

Assuming, of course, that they all survived that long.

Uther was the only one who remained on his own feet. It did not take the king long to surmise his predicament. But he turned bravely and faced the man who stepped forward. Hate tended to increase one's courage, Leon had noted over the years, even if it also tended to increase one's stupidity. He could only pray Uther remained rational.

"Taela, Athiss, guard the door."

The woman moved to obey immediately, but the man grew instantly furious. "_What!"_ Athiss exclaimed. "I'm not waiting outside! I've been waiting _years_ to see this tyrant get what's coming to him!"

"You know as well as I do that the barrier has fallen," the leader pointed out. Leon paled at the news. Fallen? What did that mean for Merlin? Or Anye? And how had this lot made it passed the barrier to begin with? "If Emrys comes, we will need warning."

"The barrier _fell_ because Emrys is dead," Athiss argued, causing' Leon's heart to beat rapidly. "You were there in the forest, Kallen. He's not nearly as powerful as the legends say. No way could he defeat the _entire_ outer force single-handedly."

"Athiss, you fool," Kallen countered. "He placed a barrier around _the entire city of Camelot," _he pointed out.

"So what?" Athiss shouted. "He lost in the forest, he'll have lost this time, too."

"Emrys didn't lose," Kallen's eyes narrowed. "He never even lifted a finger to attack. The forest wasn't even a fight."

"You pay too much heed to legends."

"And you pay too little," Kallen shot back immediately.

"I am _not_ waiting outside."

"I'll go," a voice interrupted. Leon's head snapped to the man who currently had him pinned effortlessly against the wall. "I don't care _how_ it gets done, I just want it done."

Athiss shot a gloating look towards Kallen and crossed the room. He raised his hand and Leon felt the invisible force holding him to the wall increase uncomfortably. The other sorcerer followed Taela out of the room, doors latching closed behind them.

At last, Kallen turned his attention to Uther. "Greetings, _Your Majesty,_" he said mockingly. "I'm sorry to have kept you waiting for so long. But unfortunately, I see that your son is not here to greet us. So tell me, wherever could he be?"


	19. Chapter 19

**A/N: Quick note: "Aithuss" from the last chapter and "Athiss" from Merlin's meeting with the druids several chapters ago are actually the same person. I just messed the name up…Oops! Not an entirely important detail, but I thought I should probably clarify. I've gone back and changed it. So now his name is Athiss. Sorry 'bout that.**

**Also, sorry for the wait. Cursed writer's block. The latter half of this chapter came just fine, but working out the beginning in a way that was coherent and relevant while still giving the right feel I was looking for was a bit of a challenge…**

**~Syd**

Chapter Nineteen

"I see that your son is not here to greet us. So tell me, wherever could he be?"

Uther remained still, jaw locked firmly in his silence as he glared icily at the sorcerer in front of him. After a moment's silence he opened his mouth. "You honestly expect me to give up my son to you?"

Kallen sighed heavily. "No," he answered, "but it would have made things easier."

"Oh let's just kill them all and be done with it," the man pinning Owen to the wall put in. "What do we care about the prince?"

"If he's impersonating our king, he's a danger to us, too," Kallen replied. "Besides, he has more than enough blood on his hands to warrant his death."

"He must be with Emrys," Burik's captive observed. Her eyes never turned away from the knight as she spoke.

"No way," the first man responded. "He's a Pendragon through and through, he'd never work with him."

"But Anye said he knew about him," she countered.

"Anye is a traitor," Athiss spat. "We can't trust a word she says."

"_Anye_ is not a traitor," Kallen stated firmly, eyes going instantly hard.

"She helped Emrys escape," Athiss argued. "And that was _her_ barrier spell that was around the city. Do you really think Emrys just figured it out on his own? She's been helping him all along. There's a reason Emrys knew we were coming."

"She's trying to do the right thing," was Kallen's answer. "She's just confused."

"By that logic," the man standing by the door put in, "you have to excuse Emrys's behavior, as well. I know you care for her, Kallen, but you can't defend Anye and yet condemn Emrys."

"Thank you, Sivan!" was Athiss's spiteful insert. "So Anye must die, just the same."

Kallen's whole demeanor turned dark. "I will not allow you to harm Anye."

"Then perhaps we should brand you a traitor, as well."

"Worry about Anye and Emrys later," the woman standing next to Sivan interrupted. "We didn't come here for them. We came here for _them,_" she indicated the many captives in the room. "I say kill the knights and the old man. Keep Uther alive for now. We can use him as bait to draw out the prince."

"Arthur will never negotiate with you," Uther spat. "He knows I'd rather die."

"Of course he won't 'negotiate' with us," she clipped. "That doesn't mean he want attempt a _valiant _ rescue-mission. Then we kill you both."

"Maris has the right idea." Leon's eyes snapped back to his own captor again. Unlike Burik's captor, Athiss kept his eyes on Kallen throughout the exchange. However, the tightness of the invisible hold on Leon made him forget any thoughts of using that as a distraction for escape. "But kill Uther now. Surely one of the knights will suffice as bait, and I'm itching for some Pendragon blood."

Maris merely shrugged. "Fine, but if we lose the prince, it's on your head."

.~.

Without ceremony, Merlin grabbed Arthur's shoulder and pulled him backwards, keeping him from walking around the corner. The prince opened his mouth to object, but one look from Merlin was enough to make him snap his jaw shut and raise his eyebrow questioningly instead.

"I still don't like this," Merlin whispered. "I should be in there with you."

Arthur glared at him. "With me is not the problem," he hissed. "_My father_ is the problem. How do expect to explain yourself to him, if I may ask?"

Merlin returned the glare. "I'm just _saying," _Merlin snapped back. "But remember, if _anything_ goes wrong, I'm through those doors in a heartbeat."

Arthur's glare deepened. "Well _I _still don't like _that_ part of the plan. But I know I can't talk you out of it."

"Nope."

They had, of course, already had this conversation in various stages of hissed whispers throughout the entire trip up through the castle. This time, however, with the door to the council chamber just around the corner, Arthur had one last thing to add. 

"Merlin…if this all goes wrong—"

"It won't."

"But _if it does._ If my father finds out about you…promise me you'll get out."

Merlin scowled. "I'm not about to abandon you."

Arthur groaned. "I'm not talking about _now,_" he said. "Stay, help me boot these bad guys out of Camelot. But _after_. Get out and stay out. _Before_ my father has a chance to order your execution. I won't be able to protect you from him. I tried before, and we both know how fabulously that turned out."

Merlin's eyes turned sad. He knew the likelihood of these events unfolding. "And what do I do then?" he asked in all seriousness.

"Find somewhere quiet to settle down for a while. And…keep an ear out for news from Camelot. Eventually…when I'm king…" but his voice trailed off. It would likely be years before that happened and they both knew it. And Merlin would be in exile that entire time.

Merlin reached up and squeezed Arthur's shoulder. "I'll get out," he promised. "But I'll come back. I'm not waiting who knows how many years before you come and find me." He grinned. "Camelot would never survive that long without me, and you know it."

Arthur grinned in return. It wasn't much of a plan, but at least Merlin had agreed to that much.

And besides, he was right about Camelot.

A tingling sensation in the back of Merlin's mind gave him a split second warning. Launching himself at Arthur, who stumbled backwards in surprise, the two sprawled onto the floor just as a burst of energy passed over his head. Merlin felt the back of his hair singe slightly. Arthur was on his feet again almost instantly, his fighting reflexes already kicking into play. Merlin took a moment longer to get back onto his feet, but looked around frantically.

A woman launched herself from around the corner straight at them. Arthur had no time to draw his sword, so he let her momentum rock his weight back onto his right foot before literally throwing her in the opposite direction.

Merlin, in the meantime, blocked another energy blast from the man who came up from the opposite direction of the corridor.

"You know, for sneaking through a castle full of sorcerers, you two are really not very quiet," the woman informed them, regaining her feet.

Merlin blocked two attacks in succession, one from each of the two. But his eyes landed on the man and he paused, seeing his hesitant stance.

"Nyr," Merlin greeted, remembering him as one of the druids who had guided him to see Kallen. "I don't want to fight you."

"Too bad we don't care about that," the woman countered for her partner. "_Deifio!"_

Merlin pushed the force aside and held out his own hand as his eyes burned in preparation. He was done trying to reason with them. If they wanted a fight, he would fight.

"Stop!" Shocked, Melrin instantly stilled his power, eyes fading back to blue as all three of them stared at Nyr in confusion.

Nyr hesitated again before at last turning to his partner. "Taela…didn't you hear him?"

"Fool!" Taela shouted. "He'll still fight us!"

"Not Emrys," Nyr countered, and looked directly at Arthur. "_Him._" Arthur, stance ready for attack, sword in his hand, widened his eyes in surprise. "You really are protecting Emrys, aren't you?"

"I'm trying to," was his honest answer.

The man turned back to Taela again. "If…if Anye was right about that—"

"I can't believe what I'm hearing!" she shouted. Completely ignoring his argument, she rounded on Merlin again and raised her hand.

With a great shout, Merlin sent a huge pulse of power and sent her spiraling through the air to collide with the stone wall. She fell to the ground with a loud thud, glassy eyes staring sightlessly in front of her. With another pang of sorrow, Merlin silently added her to the growing list of those he had killed today.

Nyr, dumbfounded over what had just happened after his attempt for peace, was at her side in a moment, feeling for her pulse. A moment later he raised haunted eyes to the two of them, mouth slightly open in a silent protest. "You killed her," he managed finally. "You _killed _her!"

"She attacked us!" Arthur defended. Too late he realized his mistake as Nyr's eyes snapped to him in accusation. It didn't matter that Merlin had been the one to kill her. Seeing the supposedOnce and Future King dismiss a death so easily was all that he needed for his hesitation to vanish.

"She was defending herself!" he shouted. "She was defending _all_ of us! That's what we're _all_ here for! _Dienyddu!"_

Green fire rushed them. Merlin pushed Arthur to the side and used the momentum to launch himself in the opposite direction. "I don't want to fight you!" he shouted again, renewing his efforts. They'd been _so close_ to gaining another ally. And one careless spell on his part had destroyed that opportunity.

But Nyr had no eyes for Merlin at all. He leapt at Arthur in a blind rage. Merlin realized his mistake too late. He'd pushed Arthur away from him to get him to safety, but that gave the angry druid an opening.

"_Die_ Arthur Pendragon!" He pointed at the prince. _"LLuchedein!_"

Lighting cracked to life from his fingertip. Horrified, Merlin raised his hands to cast a shield, but it was too late.

The lightning struck a suddenly golden surface two inches from Arthur's face.

Merlin, Arthur, and Nyr all froze in astonishment.

"_Gwan-galonn!"_ Merlin instantly turned towards the stairs to defend himself, but found himself staring wide-eyed at Anye and Guinevere as Nyr screamed. Looking back at the druid, the man clutched at his chest as his eyes rolled into the back of his head. A second later his lifeless body crumpled to the ground.

For a moment, all was still, then Anye let out a sharp gasp of breath before her knees buckled. Gwen caught her and helped lower her to a sitting position on the steps. Merlin was crouching in front of them almost immediately. "I'm glad to see you're all right," he said after a small hesitation. "You had me worried for a bit."

She let out a shaky breath, lungs working hard as if she had just sprinted a mile. "Yes, well. You gave_ me _quite the scare when I woke up and found _her _staring down at me." She indicated Gwen with a weary wave of her hand.

Merlin looked at Gwen questioningly, who simply shrugged and looked down at the ground. "Someone had to watch out for her," she pointed out. "_I_ found the two of you up there, who knows who else might have wandered up?"

Anye smiled softly. "Plus, there's still that guard up there that you knocked out," she reminded Merlin.

It was Merlin's turn to shrug. "He'll sleep for several more hours. He wouldn't have bothered you."

"Thank you, for saving us." All three of them jumped slightly before turning to face Arthur. The prince remained several feet away from the foot of the stairs, looking slightly unsure of himself as he regarded the woman who had previously tried to kill him.

Anye looked stunned to be receiving a proper thanks, but a short laugh escaped her. "How's that for irony?" she asked, then turned again to Merlin. "So…he knows then?"

Merlin glared at her. "Of _course_ he knows. _You_ already knew that."

She shrugged. "Well, now you know he knows and that I knew all along. Aren't we just one big happy family of truthfulness?" The sardonic smile vanished a moment later as she let out another shaky breath.

"Are you all right?" Merlin asked.

"Just fine."

"She's been unconscious since you two dropped the barrier," Gwen corrected. "She's _not_ fine."

"I'm fine enough!" Anye snapped. She disentangled herself from the maid's grasp and shakily gained her feet.

"Where do you think you're going?" Arthur demanded.

"I'm going with you to talk to Kallen," was the automatic reply. "I could sense him the moment I woke up. I know he's here."

"You're in no condition to be walking into a battle ground," was the firm answer. "I appreciate all you've done, really. But you need rest."

"Well sorry to disappoint you, _Sire,_" she responded. "But while you may be destined to _become_ my king, you're not my king yet. Which means I don't have to listen to you."

Merlin snorted his laugh, and when Arthur turned his glare to him he just shrugged. "Sorry, Arthur, but she's got a point." His smile fell. "And besides, since you won't let _me_ go in with you, at least you'd have some magic on your side," he pointed out. "You've got a much better chance of making them listen to you with her than by yourself."

Arthur hesitated. "They'll listen to you?" he asekd finally.

Anye shook her head sadly. "They've probably named me a traitor after I helped Merlin escape. And Kallen is…determined. But they'll probably at least pause long enough for you to talk to them. Hopefully they'll listen to _you."_

Merlin still didn't like this. He wanted to be in there with Arthur. But he knew how foolishly suicidal that would be with King Uther in the same room. Anye was Arthur's best magical defense right now.

"Are you sure you're up for it?" Merlin asked her. She was obviously weakened after holding so much power for so long and then having it ripped away from her. He could _sense_ her fatigue in the way her magic escaped from her in tiny wisps.

She nodded firmly. "I won't be much help if it comes to a fight, but the point is to avoid a fight in the first place, isn't it?"

He nodded. "All right. You go in with Arthur. Try to get Kallen and the others to see reason. We killed these two, which means there should be eight more in there. I'll be right outside. If it comes to a fight, I'll step in." Anye nodded her agreement.

Arthur bristled. "Doesn't anybody care how _I_ want to handle this?" he demanded.

"Nope," Merlin and Anye chorused, both breaking into a grin. Arthur sighed his defeat while Gwen bit her lower lip in poorly concealed worry.


	20. Chapter 20

**A/N: I fail. I know. It's been way too long since I've updated, and even longer since I've updated IG. I'm sorry! Final semester of school and all, senior recital coming up, blah blah blah. I'll try to be better!**

Chapter Twenty

Kallen hissed an intake of breath, and Leon couldn't help the look of confusion that crossed his face at the seemingly random action.

"Kallen," the man Leon was pretty sure was named Sivan spoke up, eyes on the door. "Did you feel that?"

The druid leader nodded grimly. "Taela and Nyr are dead."

"That was…quick."

"What's the matter?" Leon couldn't resist saying. "Emrys a bit too powerful for you?" The other knights' eyes all snapped to him, as did the king's, making him almost wish he'd bit his tongue. Almost.

Sivan's dark eyes remained locked on Kallen's, but it was him who answered Leon. "Emrys didn't kill them both." To that, Leon was once again thoroughly confused. But the amount of tension among the sorcerers in the room was suddenly quite tangible. Kallen closed his eyes almost painfully as he took a deep breath.

"Even you can no longer defend her, Kallen," Maris said from her place at the door, not unreasonably. "Not if she's killed one of our own."

So. Anye must be outside, as well. Leon was _pretty_ sure that was a good thing.

Kallen said nothing in response to the accusation this time. His eyes merely fell to Uther, and Leon's gut clenched.

But Kallen didn't even have a chance to move before the doors burst open and two figures strode in. It was not, however, the two figures Leon had been hoping to see. His prince strode bravely into the room, eyes quickly scanning to make sure that everyone was alive and unharmed.

The second figure, instead of the dark-haired secret warlock he had been expecting to see, was a red-haired woman that Leon had only seen once before.

"Well," Athiss smiled dangerously, Leon felt his magical bonds tighten as the man's anger bubbled. "Isn't this lovely? The imposter king and the traitor. Aren't you just the perfect pair."

"_You!" _All eyes snapped to Uther, who was still in his kneeling position in the center of the room. "I knew you'd have something to do with this!" he spat, eyes glaring daggers into Anye.

"Oh shut up," Maris walked over and promptly slapped the king, leaving him speechless and slightly stunned. "Even now, you can't recognize an ally when you see one."

"To be fair," Anye inserted, "I _did_ attack Camelot just a few weeks ago."

"Anye, why are you doing this?" Kallen asked softly. Her eyes turned and met his sadly and the silence stretched between them. "You killed Nyr."

"I did," she confessed. "If you understood what I do, you'd know that I had no choice. And we are not here to fight." She indicated Arthur beside her. "Our _king_ has come to speak to you."

"Traitor!" Athiss shouted, rounding on Anye in his anger. Leon slumped to the ground softly. "You proclaim a Pendragon as your king, and you kill your own! You're a traitor and a coward! And you will _die!_"

Instantly, Kallen moved so that he was between Anye and Athiss, dark eyes boring holes into the man.

"Kallen," Sivan inserted softly. "You have to make a choice. Anye is against us, which makes her an enemy. You either defend her, or you lead us in what we came here to do."

"And if _you_ don't lead us, then _I _will," Athiss added.

"Where is Emrys?" Maris demanded suddenly, ignoring the turmoil of her leader.

Leon caught Arthur's eye briefly as the prince hesitated. "He's waiting to see if I can handle this on my own," he said at last. His eyes flickered to Uther for the barest moment before resting on Maris, and Leon's mouth went dry. Merlin couldn't come in here. Not so long as Uther was there. It would be suicide.

Which of course, knowing Merlin, wouldn't stop him for long.

Arthur was equally aware of this fact. But it was his turn now to protect his friend. And the only way to do that, was to get these sorcerers to listen to reason, and listen fast.

"I am not your enemy," he told Kallen softly. "And neither is Anye. Or Emrys."

"Arthur, what are you saying!" Arthur winced, but didn't turn to face his father. Uther was not going to be very happy with him after all of this. "They're sorcerers! They are all—" A thud and several gasps interrupted the rant and Arthur looked sharply up, just as his father pitched forward onto the ground.

Leon stood directly behind him quite innocently, but the way Sir Owen and Sir Burik were staring at him suggested something entirely different than innocence.

Athiss, who had until now forgotten his charge, threw his hand out and Leon was once again thrown painfully into the wall, whith much more force than the first time.

"Leon, what have you done?" Owen demanded, stunned.

Leon ignored him, face showing nothing but determination as he looked at Arthur. "Now you can do what you need to do," he said. "And…" he glanced sideways at the other knights, both of whom continued to stare at him in shock. "At least this way…Emrys…has a better chance."

Arthur understood. He nodded once in thanks, which caused Owen and Burik to turn to him in equal confusion.

"I am not your enemy," Arthur said again.

"You persecute us," Kallen argued, still planted firmly between Anye and Athiss. Anye remained silent, letting Arthur take the lead, as he must.

"I know," Arthur responded. "And it's wrong."

The ease and certainty with which he said it caused immediate silence to descend upon them all.

"I know that my father and I have made mistakes," Arthur continued, looking around at each of the sorcerers in turn. He ignored his knights for now. They were a problem to be dealt with later. "We have hunted you, killed your families, usually unprovoked. There is no excuse for such action, and I know that nothing I can do or say can ever make up for the suffering we have caused. The suffering that _I _have caused."

"You're damn right there's nothing you can do," Maris said. "You killed my sister, when all she was doing was protecting me. _You_ killed her. Not your knights, not your father, _you. _You will _never_ be my king. I don't care what Emrys says about you."

Arthur's stomach dropped. He believed it. "I am sorry," he said sincerely.

"And your knights killed _my_ family," Kallen inserted. You came and slaughtered them all. Nothing you do will ever make up for that."

"No," Arthur agreed. "But what I can do is try to make things right for you and your people."

"And how do you expect to do that?" Kallen demanded.

"By legalizing magic."

"_Sire!"_

Again, Arthur ignored his knights. Kallen, on the other hand, had his undivided attention. If he could convince Kallen, then maybe, just maybe, the others would listen. The druid's mouth was open in unrepressed shock. He was not the only one.

"You would legalize magic?" He asked at last, boring holes into him with his stares.

Arthur was silent for a moment, as he thought about what he needed to say. "You know Emrys has been protecting me," He said at last, to which Kallen nodded. "Well, I didn't know that until a few months ago. Until then," his eyes shifted to his father, slumped unconscious on the ground, "I had much the same view of magic as my father did."

"One man cannot change a lifetime of prejudice."

"Normally I'd agree with you," Arthur responded. "But you and I both know that Emrys is no ordinary man. And he didn't change my view immediately, I assure you. For a long time I was just confused. When Anye," he gestured softly to the sorceress who remained silent at his side, "caused all those earthquakes, I even suspected Emrys of betraying me after all. But he still protected me, and nearly died doing it." Arthur took a small step forward. "One man's prejudice began all your suffering, as my father vowed to wipe you all from the face of the earth. Is it really so hard to believe that one man can remove that same prejudice and make me see the truth?"

Kallen hesitated, and Arthur swallowed hard. If that couldn't convince the man, he didn't know what would.

"Your father is king," Kallen pointed out. "How exactly do you plan on legalizing magic?"

Arthur looked at him sadly, knowing his answer would not be liked. "I cannot usurp my father," he said steadily, needing Kallen to understand. "The kingdom would fall to civil war. It would destroy too much. But, one day, I will be king. And then I can make the changes we so desperately need."

"And until then, we continue to suffer? Being persecuted and hunted like animals?"

"I know it's not what you want to hear," Arthur said slowly. "And believe me, it's not what I want to say. But it's the way it has to be. M—Emrys and I will do what we can in the meantime—leading patrols away from your camps, helping those caught escape whenever we can. But I've no doubt there will be more death." Kallen's eyes hardened once more, and Arthur's stomach sank, realizing he had lost him.

"I don't trust him," Arthur's eyes snapped to Maris who stood leaning against the wall. "Promises mean nothing. How many of us will die while waiting for an unknown time when you _might_ free us?" she demanded, stepping away from the wall. "And we're just supposed to let you _go_ after murdering so many of us? Not even that, we're supposed to _serve_ you!"

Sivan spoke hesitantly, "He never did mention service," he pointed out. A tingle of hope once again sprouted in Arthur's stomach.

"He's claiming to be our king, isn't he?"

Sivan shrugged. "Actually, he never mentioned that, either."

"It doesn't matter!" she snapped. "The fact remains the same that nothing's going to change." She looked at Arthur and smiled tauntingly at him. "Tell you what, how about we kill Uther now? We have our justice, you have your crown. You free us. Simple." Arthur remained in cold silence. "What's the matter?" she asked. "Don't like that plan?" Her eyes narrowed. "Your words are meaningless."

"If you kill my father," Arthur said slowly, "I'd still legalize magic." Her eyebrows shot up in surprise, as did Kallen's. "And do you know why? Because it's not the _rest_ of the magic community's fault that you decided to go on a murdering rampage. But _you_ would never see that freedom. I would free magic, but each and every one of you would die a murderer's death."

With that threat, Maris's hands flew up without warning. "_Gwewyr!"_

Arthur didn't see the threat in time, but Anye did. She jumped in front of Arthur, raising her hands to block the spell, but the words could not leave her lips fast enough and her raised arms took the full brunt of the attack.

Her blood-piercing scream ripped the air as she collapsed on the ground and lay there twitching.

Kallen rounded on Maris in anger. "_Clatsio!" _he shouted. Maris hastily blocked his spell with a simple deflection spell. "I told you not to hurt her!" he shouted. _"Llabidio!"_

Again, she deflected the spell, and her fury reached a new level. "You tried to kill me!" she exclaimed.

"_Cyflymu!"_

Arthur watched in horrified fascination as Athiss once again dropped Leon like a bag of potatoes and joined the fray. His spell crashed into Kallen with a mighty force and the druid leader smashed into the opposite wall with enough force to crack the stone behind him. He slumped to the ground—conscious, but dazed.

"He's our leader!" Sivan shouted, rounding on Athiss.

"He attacked us!"

And then there was chaos. Leon leapt forward and covered Uther's head, shielding the king the best he could as spells flew over their heads. Arthur at last drew his sword, and found his first target in the yet unnamed sorcerer who leveled his hand threateningly at the prince. Arthur ran him through before his opened mouth could spout the fateful words.

And then? Whom to attack? Whom to defend?

He looked across at Burik and Owen, both of whom were no longer pinned to the wall, but standing on their own two feet and looking just as confused on what to do as Arthur felt.

Athiss broke away from his fellow sorcerers for a moment and caught Arthur's gaze. He raised his hand at the same time Arthur drew back his sword.

But as Arthur tensed his muscles and thrust the blade towards his enemy, he felt his whole body meet resistance in the motion. As though thrusting his sword through syrup, his momentum slowed and, eventually, stopped completely.

His couldn't move. It was as though a great weight had descended upon him. He could feel the increased pressure on his heart and lungs. Terror gripped him when he realized how completely helpless he was.

But then, he realized that neither had Athiss moved. He remained in the same position, hand in the frozen position of being partially raised, mouth open to complete an unspoken spell. His eyes moved, looking every which way for the culprit of this strange pressure-spell.

So Arthur looked around too, and then he finally realized what he had failed to notice during the fight: the door to the council room was wide open, and in the center of the doorway stood Merlin.


	21. Chapter 21

**A/N: Ok, I finally got caught up in season 5, and let me just say, GA;LKSHDAF;IOA;3IAWS;NZIOH!  
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**Yes, that was my keyboard exploding in my inability to type my reaction to the awesomeness that is this show. Brilliant! I eagerly await tonight!**

**In the meantime, if you're wondering why I haven't updated IG in ages, don't worry! I will still continue that. I realized that, realistically, I do not have time to be working on two fics at once. And as this one is almost done, I'm just gonna focus on it until it's done, and then I'll go back to IG.**

**So here you go! Enjoy.**

**~Syd**

Chapter Twenty-One

Merlin sensed the room erupt into chaos and tensed.

"What is it?" Gwen asked, standing up from her sitting position on the stairs. When Merlin didn't answer she grew worried. "Merlin?"

Merlin barely heard her. He hesitated for the barest moment, and then plunged forward. Uther or no Uther, it was time to stop this. With a mighty push from his mind, the doors thrust open, and Merlin stood in shock at what he saw before him.

The sorcerers had turned on each other. A few lay dead on the ground, the rest were facing off against each other. Anye lay on the ground at his feet, trembling in what he assumed to be pain, judging by the way her eyes were scrunched shut and her arms were clutched in front of her. Kallen was on the floor against a cracked stone wall, eyes dull and confused as he watched the events unfold. Gaius was pressed against the far wall—free, but unable to do anything but try to stay out of the way. The knights had their swords again, but stood at a lost of what to do.

Leon lay on the ground, and it took Merlin a moment to realize he was shielding the king. Merlin gulped, unable to see if the king was conscious or not, but at least sensing that he was still alive.

Then his eyes found Arthur, and the opponent he faced. As Athiss raised his hand, desperation filled Merlin. He wanted this all to _stop._

His eyes blazed gold as his power radiated out from him of its own accord, reacting to his strong desire. It filled the corners of the room and sank, pressure building around each person as they slowed to a standstill, frozen in mid-strikes.

Silence descended upon the room, as everyone looked around the room the best they could without turning their heads. Those facing his direction at last noticed him standing in the doorway, including Burik and Owen. Merlin's gold eyes caught Arthur's, who was visibly relieved when he saw who had caused this cease in action.

"This fighting stops _now._"

He stepped forward slowly, and lowered himself to examine Anye. Her twitching had ceased due to his spell, but she was obviously still in pain. Merlin narrowed his eyes in concentration, and slowly disentangled Anye from his hold. Immediately she gasped a deep breath, and began trembling again, clenching her body a little more tightly. He touched her shoulder, trying to sense what was wrong with her. He sensed a lingering wisp of magic invading her, but couldn't see a way to remove it.

Looking up, Merlin sensed the same magic coming from a woman several feet away. She was in a position to meet his eyes, and from that look, Merlin knew that spell had been no accident. She would not be any help for Anye.

Instead, Merlin turned his eyes to Kallen. The druid leader stared back at him, almost desperately, his eyes flicking back and forth between him and Anye. Merlin's own eyes softened, then glanced at Arthur.

Carefully, he disentangled both Kallen and Arthur from his spell, allowing them both to move again.

Arthur was at his side immediately. In a moment of desperation, he placed a firm hand on Merlin's shoulder and looked each Owen and Burik squarely in the eye, silently declaring his support of the situation. The knights remained frozen, and he had no way of knowing their resonse.

Kallen stood from his position more slowly, clinging to the wall as he did. Merlin stepped forward and slung the druid's arm over his shoulder, helping him over to Anye until he could lean down next to her.

"I'm not very good at healing magic," Merlin confessed. "There's a malicious strain of magic clinging to her. Is there anything you can do?"

Kallen clenched his eyes tightly for a moment, gathering his still slightly-dazed wits before opening them again. He nodded silently, took a deep breath, and closed his eyes again, more softly this time.

Merlin sensed the magical exchange, as the strands of magic pulled away from Anye, wrapped around Kallen briefly, before he released them into the air and they dissipated.

Anye gasped for breath and her eyes flew open. Still shaking slightly, but no longer appearing to be in so much pain, she desperately tried to sit up, but Merlin's hand stopped her.

"Rest," he told her softly. "Everything's all right."

She stopped her struggle to get up, and met Kallen's eyes. Her mouth moved to form his name, but no sound emerged.

"Yes, it's me," he said sadly, taking her hand. "I'm sorry. You were never meant to get hurt." Her eyes fluttered closed again, and her breathing evened out in the pattern of exhausted sleep.

"Is she all right?" Arthur asked, still concerned by her amount of shaking. Kallen raised surprised eyes to his, and then nodded.

"She will be."

Merlin stood, and faced the rest of the room. Many of the sorcerers could still not see him, as he'd frozen them facing the opposite direction. But he wanted their undivided attention.

"I am going to release you from this spell," he said slowly. "You are going to turn slowly and face me. If you try to attack anyone, I will not hesitate to kill you. I am _done_ trying to reason with you all. And I am done with this fighting. Understood?" Of course, no one could answer him. Merlin let out his breath, and released his spell.

No one needed to see him to know who they were facing, or that his threat was entirely real. Slowly, they turned to face him.

Hiding his complete terror, Merlin watched Uther carefully as Leon stood up, and let out a relieved breath when he did not move. So he was unconscious after all. That made things a bit simpler. Even as the words crossed his mind, his eyes flickered to the knights who stared at him in shock, and his mouth went dry.

But right now, there were more important matters to deal with.

"Look at you," he said with disgust. "Are you so full of anger and bitterness that you are even turning on _each other_ now?" he demanded. His words were met with a mixed response, between guilt, skepticism, and uncertainty. He pointed firmly to Arthur. "Arthur Pendragon is your king."

"He is _not—_"

"_Did I say you could speak?"_ Merlin spat at the woman who had attacked Anye. She fell instantly silent.

"Best listen to him, Maris," Sivan warned.

"Arthur Pendragon _is_ your king," Merlin repeated firmly. "Whether or not you believe that, I could care less. The prophecy of the Golden Age will come to pass whether you support it or not. Destiny cannot be changed," his eyes turned sad. "I know that better than anyone."

Silence met his words. "I hate fighting," Merlin informed them. "I hate death. I've seen and caused enough of it to last me ten lifetimes. But destiny has chosen me for this role for a reason. _I_ know Arthur is the King of Ages. And I will defend him until my dying breath."

"And what do we do until he becomes king?" Sivan asked. Merlin didn't snap at him. His question was not accusing or hateful, but honest.

Merlin turned to Arthur. "Arthur?" he asked. It was his decision, after all.

Arthur stood from his place at Anye's side. "We do what we can to make things easier for you," he said. "Like I said before, we could lead patrols away from your camps, do what we can to help innocent people escape."

"And other innocents continue to die," Athiss inserted, then wilted slightly at Merlin's glare.

"I know," Arthur answered. "So we do what we can to ensure no one is ever caught."

"How do you plan to do that?" Sivan asked.

"An alliance. Merlin here will act as a liaison. He will be our…unofficial court sorcerer." Merlin's eyes widened and snapped to Arthur in shock. "He stays in contact with your nearby clans. We can warn you of patrols, and you can warn us of impending magical attacks. As for magical folk outside of the druid clans, if any of them are arrested, we smuggle them out and send them to you to take them and their families in."

"You're a Pendragon," came Kallen's soft voice. Arthur turned to look at him, but the druid continued to stare at Anye as he spoke. "How can it be you?" His question was soft, though, and not meant to be answered.

"You have a choice," Merlin spoke up again, once his dry mouth started working again. "You will be allowed to leave here peacefully, whether or not you swear to Arthur. Will you choose to accept this alliance, and bring us closer to peace than we have ever been before, or will you choose to ignore this opportunity and continue as we have been, with fear?" He licked his lips. They did, after all, have a third option. "If you instead attack, I will stop you."

There was a long silence, as the sorcerers looked around at each other uncertainly.

Sivan was the first to step forward. "I will accept the offer," he said firmly. "I do not know if I believe you're the King, but perhaps with time, you will prove yourself. I am willing to wait, and see, and take the peace you offer us."

Arthur extended his hand, which Sivan stared at for a moment, then slowly took.

A woman who had not yet spoken stepped forward next.

"Caela! What are you doing!" Maris demanded. She hesitated briefly at the reprimand, but then continued forward across the room.

"I accept your offer, as well," she said. She went one step further than Sivan, and sank to her knee, "my King," she finished.

"Caela!"

A tickle in the air alerted Merlin to a sudden danger, but it was not from Maris. Athiss raised his hand again against Arthur. _""Llabidio!"_

Merlin jumped in front of Arthur. Not having enough time to construct a shield, he took the energy of the attack and sling-shot it back to its originator, much as he did the last time he faced Athiss, back in the forest of Ascetir.

The deadly spell struck its maker in the chest, and with a flash, Athiss fell, eyes open and staring sightlessly.

"Murderer!" Maris shouted. As her own eyes blazed gold, Merlin turned on her and prepared himself, but before he could act, she seized up. Her hands went to her throat as her eyes widened. A small strangled noise escaped her clenched throat.

"I told you not to hurt Anye." Merlin turned, and saw Kallen, still crouched on the ground, but his cold eyes and hand leveled at Maris. A moment later he closed his fist tightly. With another strangled cry, Maris collapsed, dead.

Merlin looked sadly over the room. Five lay dead, plus the two he and Anye had killed outside this room. That left only Sivan, Caela, and Kallen.

And only Kallen had not yet declared his answer.

He, however, seemed a little preoccupied as he returned his attention to Anye.

"You care for her a great deal, don't you?" Arthur asked softly.

Kallen was silent for a long moment. "Yes," he said at last.

Merlin didn't want to push him, but a glance at the knights, and the unconscious Uther, reminded him that they did not have forever. "Kallen," he said hesitantly. "You still need to make a choice."

"And if I choose against you, I suppose you'll kill me?" he said in a voice devoid of any emotion.

Arthur shook his head. "You are free to go," he reminded him. "So long as you don't attack us."

Kallen sighed a long, tired sigh as he stroked Anye's red hair softly. "She was so sure you needed to die," he said after a prolonged silence. "I told her not to, but she stormed off to attack you anyways. Then she became your greatest defender among us." Merlin and Arthur remained silent. "Maybe…maybe I should have listened to her."

"Will you accept this alliance, then?" Arthur asked, when he didn't seem inclined to continue.

Slowly, Kallen nodded. "This alliance…is a great opportunity for us. How can I refuse?" He was silent for another moment. "She was right all along. You really are the King." He raised his eyes to Arthur's. "But I cannot serve you. I…I have suffered too much. Maybe in time I will forgive you, but I am not strong enough for that now. But you have my word, I will never attack Camelot again."

Arthur nodded slowly in return. "I accept your promise. And in time, I hope to earn your forgiveness."

"That's my Kal." The quiet voice had them all looking down immediately, as Anye's eyes fluttered open. Carefully, and with a wince, she reached up and placed her hand over Kallen's on the side of her face.

"Anye!" Merlin exclaimed. "How are you feeling?"

She groaned and attempted to sit up. Kallen and Arthur both rushed to help her. "Like I was smacked with a large slab of solid stone over and over again." She looked over the room and gasped at the death she saw before her. Then she looked up at Merlin, the silent question written on her face.

"It wasn't me," Merlin assured her. "They turned on each other."

She next noticed Sivan and Caela standing over them, and looked up at Arthur. "You convinced them."

"I think Merlin convinced them more than I did."

"No," Sivan responded firmly, causing attention to turn to him. "Emrys may have made us listen, but _you_ are the one who is offering us change."

Merlin grinned, and clapped the stunned Arthur on the back lightly.

"So what will you do now?" Merlin asked them.

Anye looked up at Kallen. "Go home?" she asked hesitantly, not entirely sure if she would be welcome there.

Kallen smiled. "Yes," he answered. "Let's go home."

She returned the smile, and then looked back to Merlin. "I don't think we'd be very welcome here, anyway, not while Uther's on the throne."

Arthur nodded sadly, knowing that was true. "When I am king," he said solemnly, "you will be welcomed with open arms. All of you," he added, turning to Kallen, Sivan, and Caela.

"I'll hold you to that," Sivan said with a smile of his own.

"Are you well enough to travel?" Kallen asked Anye, who nodded.

"If we teleport, which I'm assuming was your plan."

"Why didn't you teleport here to begin with?" Arthur asked, genuinely curious.

"You can only teleport to someplace you've been before," Anye answered. "None of them had been inside the palace before."

"But teleporting out is a simple enough matter." He pulled Anye's arm over his shoulder and hoisted her to her feet. "Sivan, Caela, are you coming?" In response, they placed their hands on Kallen's shoulders.

"Thank you, Emrys," Anye said, looking at Merlin again.

Merlin nodded. "I'll see you again," he said. "Especially if I'm going to be liaison to the clans."

Her eyebrows shot up at that new piece of information she'd been unconscious for, but a few words and a rush of air later, and they were gone.

A tired silence stretched afterwards, as Merlin and Arthur breathed deeply in relief. It was finally over.

"Court sorcerer, huh?" Merlin asked cheekily, grinning at Arthur.

Arthur rolled his eyes in exasperation. "Oh don't look so pleased with yourself. You're still an idiot."

"Sire," instantly both of them tensed again and their banter died. A whole new battle was about to start. "What on Earth is going on?"

Arthur and Merlin both turned to face Sir Burik and Sir Owen, who were staring wide-eyed at the prince of Camelot who had just sworn to return magic, and his bumbling servant who had just demonstrated enormous magical power.


	22. Chapter 22

**A/N: First off, I have **_**not**_** yet seen the last two episodes of Merlin. I know, I know, shame on me! I call myself a fan and don't even watch the finale! I shall soon, but in the meantime, please do **_**NOT**_** spoil anything for me when you review. I've gotten a couple spoilers in the past through reviews, and I don't normally mind, but I really don't want that to happen about the end-end. Thanks!**

**Wow. This fic is officially even longer than OSG. What was that I said at the end of OSG? Something about "this next story will most likely be shorter than OSG, but longer than ASG?" Ya….why do things always turn out way longer than I expect them to be? **

**But anyway! Onto OWS!**

**~Syd**

Chapter Twenty-Two

Merlin winced. This was not going to be pleasant.

Arthur stepped protectively in front of Merlin, well aware of the fact that both his knights were holding swords, partially raised in a defensive stance. Arthur held his own sword, but kept it down at his side, not wanting to give any sign of aggression.

"Sir Burik, Sir Owen," he greeted. "Glad to see you're both all right."

Leon stepped forward then, and took up a determined stance next to Arthur, also in front of Merlin. "And you, of course," Arthur inclined his head to the side, but didn't take his eyes off the two in front of him. "Is my father ok?" he asked sideways.

"Yes," Leon answered somewhat sheepishly. "Sorry about that, but it was the only thing I could think of."

Merlin stared at him in shock. "_You _knocked Uther out?" he asked incredulously. "Why in the world would you do that?" When Leon turned and stared pointedly at him, realization dawned. "Oh."

"You…all three of you, you're all traitors," Owen swallowed hard after the words.

"We are _not_ traitors," Arthur said firmly.

"You're talking treason!" Burik nearly shouted, eyes showing his frantic attempt to understand what was going on. "You're talking of legalizing magic, of smuggling sorcerers out of the kingdom! _Your'e_ a sorcerer!" He added, turning his attention to Merlin. "And _you _struck the king!" He turned to Leon.

The three of them hesitated and looked unsurely at each other. "Technically all true," Arthur reluctantly admitted.

"Not about me," Merlin inserted timidly. "I'm not actually a sorcerer…though that's probably not going to help us at all."

Burik shook his head in defiance. "There's no denying it boy, not now."

"Actually, he's telling the truth," Arthur confirmed. "He's not a sorcerer, he's a warlock. Apparently there's kind of a huge difference."

"So…so _you_ have been Emrys, all this time," that was Owen again, and Merlin wilted a little bit more.

"Yes," he said at last.

"And you're not going to say a word about it," Leon informed the two knights, which only served to make them bristle in anger.

"Or what?" Burik demanded. "He'll kill us like he killed that man over there?" he gestured to Athiss, lying dead on the ground.

"Did any of you stop to think about _why_ Merlin is here in the first place?" Arthur demanded. At Burik and Owen's pause, the answer was clear. "He didn't have to come in here and reveal himself. He could have let us all die. And that way, magic would have been returned a heck of a lot sooner."

They hesitated for a moment, but then took note of the man who until then had remained pressed to the wall, too afraid of what was happening to move.

"Gaius is here," Owen pointed out. Gaius slowly peeled himself from the wall in answer. "He's practically the boy's father. Of _course_ he came in here to save him."

"He came in here to save _you_, too!"

"He's a sorcerer, Sire! Have you forgotten everything your father's taught you?" Burik's eyes narrowed. "Maybe your father was right, after all. Maybe Emrys _has_ enchanted you."

Arthur groaned. "I am _not_ enchanted! Why does every keep thinking that!"

Owen leapt forward, brandishing his sword, but Arthur stepped forward to intercept it and the metal clanged with a sickening finality.

"Stop it!" Gaius demanded. "Will you attack your prince?"

"Get the sorcerer!" Owen demanded, as he and Arthur struggled for control of the locked swords. Burik obediently jumped forward, but predictably, Leon was there.

"Have you lost your mind!" Leon demanded.

"_You've _lost your mind!" Burik shouted. "Get ahold of yourself, Leon! Snap out of it!"

"I'm not enchanted you fool! Merlin just saved all our lives!"

"He's forcing magic back into the kingdom!" With a fling of his sword, Burik managed to disarm Leon. A kick to the back of the knees had the knight drop to the ground. But Leon wasn't out yet.

He swung his legs around, taking Burik's out from under him, and the sword fight between two knights quickly became a wrestling match instead.

Merlin watched the scene unfold before him with a terrible pain. There was no way Owen or Burik would ever understand. It was a miracle that Leon had accepted him, but Leon had at least known him a little bit, whereas Merlin had hardly spoken to either of these commanding officers. They would tell Uther everything that had happened today.

There was more at stake here than simply Merlin's freedom. True, this would decide whether or not Merlin could remain in Camelot, or had to escape into hiding. But it would also determine whether or not Arthur would be capable of keeping his promise to the druids. If these knights told Uther of their plans, of _anything_ that had just happened, it would be over.

There was only one thing to do. He looked up across the room and caught Gaius's eye. The pained, knowing look the physician gave him nearly broke Merlin's heart, but he had no choice.

With a thrust of his power, Merlin drove Owen away from Arthur until he was pinned gently against the far wall. A push with his other hand and another magical nudge pulled Burik away, as well, and forced him to Owen's side.

"I guess you two are a bit smarter than I was giving you credit for, aren't you?" Merlin jeered. Arthur and Leon, both panting, looked to Merlin in confusion, but Merlin ignored them both. "You're right," he confirmed, "I've enchanted them both."

"Merlin!"

"_Gosteg," _Merlin said firmly, and immediately Arthur's jaw clamped shut against his will.

Owen and Burik's eyes narrowed in hatred at the sorcerer in front of them, as Merlin stepped up closer to them. "For years I've been working from the shadows. When Arthur here finally found out about me, he proved to be a bit too difficult to manipulate, so I had to cast a spell on him. Played with his mind until he believed every word I said. Leon was no different."

"And Gaius?" Owen asked. "Was he under your spell, too?"

Merlin looked at his father figure sadly, and shook his head. "No need. He never found out about my magic. I did develop a bit of a soft spot for him, though. Which, as you so cleverly figured out, meant I had to come in here and save him."

"So what are you going to do now?" Burik spat. "Place us under your wicked spell, too?"

Merlin shook his head. "Unfortunately, it's a bit more difficult holding these spells than you realize. I can only hold control over so many minds at a time. No matter, though. It's time I leave Camelot anyway. I'm sick of being stuck in the shadows."

"Merlin…"

"_Gosteg!_" Leon's mouth also clamped shut. He wouldn't let them stop him. This was the only way. The only way to ensure Uther knew nothing of the truth. The only way to ensure Arthur was able to keep his promises to the druids. The prince would have to find a different liaison. But he could do it. He was smart. Resourceful. He'd find a way to help them all.

And then one day, one day Merlin would be able to return.

"So I'll be leaving," Merlin said, desperately fighting the lump that grew in his throat. "Don't worry. As soon as I'm gone, they'll go back to normal.

"Why don't you just kill us?" Burik demanded. "Arthur and Uther, too? You obviously want the Pendragons off the throne."

"Actually, I could care less about that," Merlin admitted. "I'm too powerful for either of them to ever pose a true threat to me. Truth is, I just like to toy with people. But I've grown tired of this game." He looked at Gaius one last time, refusing to look in Arthur's direction, and then turned to make his final exit out of Camelot.

And walked right into Arthur's fist.

Merlin landed hard on the ground, and brought his hand up to rub the side of his face, which throbbed with white pain.

"What the _hell_ was that for?" he demanded, forgetting for a moment the role he had created.

"For placing a cursed _silencing_ spell on me!" Arthur reprimanded. "Only way I could think of to break it was to make you lose your concentration." Arthur worked his jaw experimentally and flexed his aching fist. "If you _ever_ cast a spell on me again, I'll do a lot worse to you than a bruised cheekbone. Got that, _Emrys?_"

Burik and Owen, both of whom had been released from Merlin's hold the moment Arthur had struck him, looked on them with shock.

"Merlin has _not_ enchanted me," Arthur said firmly. "_Or_ Leon. Don't you see what he's doing? He's trying to make you think that, so he can leave, everything else can go back to normal, and I can still keep my promise to the druids without you suspecting anything! He's being the same self-sacrificing idiot that he's always been!" Arthur's eyes opened wide as a new thought struck him. "Merlin, take off your shirt."

"_What?!"_

"You heard me! I'm your prince. More than that even: you say I'm your king! So as your king, I am ordering you: _take off your shirt!"_

"Arthur have you gone insane?"

A pair of hands grabbed him from behind and wrestled with the cloth. Merlin struggled. "Leon!" he shouted. "Stop it! You're being—That _tickles! _I said sto—"

And he was out of the shirt.

Merlin glared at Leon and Arthur both in turn. "Happy?" he demanded. "Now what on earth does this prove?"

Arthur took him by the shoulders and forcibly turned him around to face the baffled knights.

"_Look_ at him," Arthur demanded. Merlin fidgeted awkwardly underneath the confused stares of the knights. But their eyes widened in shock when they finally took note of the torn, bruised, and scarred flesh normally hidden by cloth.

"See this scar?" Arthur asked, pointing to the destroyed tissue on the center of Merlin's chest. "He got that when I was abducted by that sorcerer over three months ago. Candun threw _lightning_ at me and Merlin literally jumped in the way and took the attack for me. And that was before I even knew that 'Emrys' existed! And certainly before I knew that _Merlin_ here was Emrys. Why would he have saved me? Why would he have left the palace, snuck into the woods, at great risk to himself and for absolutely _no reward_ to save me in complete _secrecy?"_

Owen and Burik glanced uncertainly at each other.

"And see this?" He pointed to Merlin's shoulder, where the wound from Anye's slicing spell was still quite fresh. "When Anye came and attacked us, Merlin fought her, too! Also to save me! And I might add, that was _after_ he stopped the earthquakes from destroying us all."

Suddenly Arthur's hand clamped down on Merlin's wound and squeezed, causing Merlin to cry out in surprised pain. When Arthur released him, he dropped to the ground, breathing heavily.

"What was that for!" He panted.

Arthur ignored him. "Do you think he'd put himself in that much pain in order to save me, if all he was going to do was _toy_ with me? I tried to tell you back then that Emrys hadn't enchanted me."

"But later you _told_ us that you'd been enchanted after all," Owen pointed out.

"_Of course I did!_" Arthur growled, growing impatient. "My father put me in prison and wouldn't let me out until the 'enchantment' wore off!"

"I found Merlin unconscious after 'Emrys' escaped our search," Leon put in. "He certainly couldn't have enchanted me while in that state. He lost a lot of blood before I got to him—nearly died."

Burik's accusing eyes fell to Gaius. "He lied," he said simply. "You _did_ know about his magic. Who else could have patched up that wound?" The stitch-work on Merlin's shoulder was fairly damning evidence.

Gaius nodded. "The first day Merlin came into my workroom, I fell off a ladder. He saved me. With magic. I've known ever since then."

"And you said nothing."

"Magic is not what you think it is," Gaius scolded as though talking to a small child. "Magic is not what _Uther_ thinks it is. I was not about to hand over a boy to be executed, who's only crime was saving my life."

"_And!_" Arthur added suddenly, "Merlin didn't even _know_ that I knew he was Emrys until today!"

Burik's eyes fell to Merlin, who was still kneeling on the ground. "What do you have to say now, boy? Are they enchanted?"

Merlin looked up at him and met his eyes briefly, then let his eyes sink to the ground. He didn't know what to say anymore.

"The ice wyrm," Owen said suddenly, causing several pairs of eyes to lock onto him. Owen looked at Leon. "You said you killed it."

"I lied," Leon said immediately. "Well, sort of. It was my sword, but Merlin here enchanted it first."

Owen looked at Merlin. "You were unconscious afterwards. And really weak the whole way home. Was that from enchanting the sword?"

Mutely, Merlin shook his head. Arthur offered the explanation, "Actually, that was from shielding me. He stopped the wyrm from striking me, but the spell went wrong and he took the brunt of the magical force instead."

"You can't be believing this, can you?" Burik demanded of Owen. The older knight hesitated, looking between all of them in the room.

"You weren't convinced Arthur was enchanted last time, either," he pointed out. "Not until Arthur himself claimed it was true. And you have to admit the story makes sense."

"So what do you suggest we do, then?" Burik asked bluntly. "Commit treason? Harbor a sorcerer under the king's nose?"

"We need him," Arthur pointed out, firmly but reasonably. "I can't tell you how many times Merlin has saved us all, and honestly, for every time I know there's probably three more I'm clueless about." Merlin couldn't help but snort his amused agreement. All the same, he was practically trembling from the possibility of _maybe_ being allowed to stay.

"I know this is technically treason," Arthur said softly. "But everything we've done has been for the safety of Camelot."

"And the safety of Uther," Leon put in. "Merlin's saved Uther's life, too. Multiple times, I might add."

Burik and Owen both looked at a loss of what to do now.

Arthur pounced on their uncertainty. "You don't have to trust Merlin. But I'm asking you to trust _me._"

"We still don't know if you're enchanted," Burik pointed out.

"Oh for the love of—" Arthur threw up his hands in exasperation.

"But," Burik continued, brow furrowing as he studied the prince before him. "Somehow…I don't think you are."

Arthur swallowed thickly, hardly daring to hope.

Owen stepped forward suddenly, a look of determination on his face, and he crouched in front of the still-kneeling Merlin so he could look him in the eye. "Who is the most important person to you in all the world?" he asked, completely serious.

Merlin didn't need to even think. "My mother," he said.

"Then swear on her life. Do you swear to serve and protect Arthur and Uther Pendragon until your dying breath, never to harm them or Camelot, or allow them to come to harm in any way?"

Merlin blinked back tears of hope. "I swear. I swear on my mother's life."

Owen let out a deep sigh of resignation, grit his teeth, and nodded once before standing up again. "Then God help me, I will keep your secret until the day Arthur tells me to do otherwise."

Merlin's breath caught in his throat, he hardly dare look at Burik, but look he did.

Burik hesitated, staring between him and Owen, and then finally shrugged.

"Fine," he said at last. "But I'm not happy about it. And make no mistake, _Emrys,_ give me _one_ reason to suspect you of treachery, and I won't hesitate to turn you in."

A sob of relief suddenly ripped from Merlin's chest without warning. His eyes widened in surprise at his own reaction, and he covered his eyes with his left arm, his right still clinging to his chest from the pain of Arthur's stunt. He took several deep, calming breaths to get himself under control, and then lowered his arm again.

Leon helped him to his feet, looking thoroughly relieved, himself.

"What do we tell Uther?" Merlin asked suddenly, looking around the room full of dead bodies.

Arthur shrugged. "The truth," he said simply, causing several eyebrows to raise questioningly, "that they turned on each other."

"We should get His Majesty to my chambers," Gaius said at last.

"He'll be all right," Leon said, "I just clipped him on the back of the head."

"No you didn't," Arthur said firmly. "One of the sorcerers did."

"Of course, my lord."

Nevertheless, Burik still stepped forward to carry the king to the physician's quarters. He looked pointedly at Leon, who sheepishly stepped forward to do the same.

Gaius came up and hugged Merlin so tightly the boy winced slightly as his shoulder was jostled again. Then he held him at arms length and began inspecting the wound carefully. "Was it really necessary to put so much pressure on the wound?" He asked, raising a disapproving eye in the prince's direction.

Arthur paled. When it came to Gaius and his patients, crossing him was never a good idea. "I wanted them to see the pain he'd endured," he defended himself.

Gaius sighed. "Well, a couple of the threads snapped. I'll have to re-stitch this after I tend to the king."

"Gaius, I'm fine," Merlin insisted.

"I'll be the judge of that."

Merlin resigned himself to endless poking and prodding, yet again. He satisfied himself with glaring at Arthur, silently declaring, _this is all your fault._

**A/N: Yay!**

**Wait! Stop, no! DON'T PANIC! It's not over yet! (Not quite.) There's still one final chapter to go. And then? You guessed it. This series will be officially concluded. Then you can panic. ;) **

**Thanks so much for sticking with me through this project! I really feel like I've grown as a writer over the course of this series. I hope you've enjoyed reading these as much as I have enjoyed writing them!**

**~Syd**


	23. Epilogue

**A/N: Ok. I finally watched the finale, and I've got to say: WHAT THE HAS;OIDFJOSZ;I˚J;I #F WA! **

**That is all. Just in case there are those out there who haven't watched it yet, I would hate to spoil the ending. But seriously, I can't believe it's over. Sigh. What to do with my life now?**

**Wait! I KNOW! More fanfiction!**

**Here it is. The long awaited ending to this series. I'm sorry to see it end, but at the same time, I love finishing long projects. Gives a sense of completion, yes?**

**Enjoy!**

**~Syd**

Epilogue

Merlin stood still, leaning over the wall as Arthur came up and joined him. The two of them stared out towards the large patch of forest that Merlin had disintegrated. A thin rise of smoke still curled its way into the sky.

Tonight, Merlin would be heading in that direction, seeking any of the druids who were undoubtedly watching Camelot very carefully right now. As soon as Uther had regained consciousness, he'd demanded a thorough search of the surrounding areas for more magical threats. Arthur had convinced him to wait to send the search parties until the following morning, which gave Merlin time to complete his first act as liaison and warn the clans of the exact search parameters.

But for now, he relished the peace that had descended upon the castle and the city.

They were at _peace_. After years of persecution, they finally had a way to combat the injustice. And when Arthur was finally king, they could put such meaningless death and hatred behind them forever. The thought left a smile on the warlock's face, even staring at the destruction _he_ had caused such a short time ago.

"Gaius manage to patch you up again?" Arthur asked casually, looking out over the wall, too.

Merlin winced, and rotated his shoulder experimentally. "Yes. He had to redo the stitching, though. _Thanks_ for that," he added sarcastically.

"Hey, desperate times, desperate measures."

"Do you really think they'll keep my secret?" he couldn't help but ask. It was a bubble of unease that had refused to go away. He didn't know Owen or Burik. Sure, they'd said they wouldn't say anything. But they'd also been facing a powerful warlock. Maybe they'd just said that in order to buy time, until Uther woke.

"My father's been conscious for hours, Merlin," Arthur said calmly. "Neither of them have made any move to see him."

"They could be waiting. Until neither of us will be watching for them."

Arthur shook his head. "They're men of their word," he assured Merlin. He placed a hand lightly on his good shoulder. "If they say they'll keep quiet, they will." He couldn't help but chuckle. "Anyone ever tell you that you have serious trust issues?"

He'd meant it as a joke, but when Merlin's face fell, Arthur couldn't help but wonder just what Merlin actually thought of himself after living in hiding, behind lies and secrets, for his entire life. Arthur certainly didn't blame him, but he wondered if Merlin somehow still blamed himself.

After a long, somewhat awkward silence, Merlin voiced a quiet question. "How did you know?"

The prince shifted next to him. He didn't need to ask what Merlin was referring to. He remained silent for a long moment as he considered his answer.

"It wasn't easy," he said at last. "You had me thoroughly fooled with your whole incompetence façade." That caused a small, impish smile to return to Merlin's face. "When you were facing off with Candun, and he said that I would have you executed the moment I learned your real name, do you remember what you said?"

Merlin shrugged. Not really.

"You said, 'You're wrong.'"

Merlin looked skeptically at him. "You're not trying to tell me you've known since I fought Candun, are you? Because you drove yourself crazy looking for me afterwards, and I _know_ that wasn't a ruse."

Arthur shook his head. "No, but I _almost_ identified you then. In those two words…I couldn't place it, but I knew your voice."

"How?" Merlin asked, eyes narrowing.

"It took me a long time to figure that out," Arthur admitted. "Even after I finally learned who you were, I still wasn't sure why what you said struck me so strongly. But I think I finally figured it out. It wasn't your voice at all, it was _what you said._"

"'You're wrong'?" Merlin repeated. "Well, I guess I do say that to you often enough."

Arthur gently shoved Merlin sideways for the retort. "Even back then," he explained, "when you had _no_ reason to expect anything of me, you still trusted me. You still defended me to Candun. You told him I was worth it, that I wouldn't betray you. I gave you no reason at all to think you could trust me, but you still did."

"But I didn't," Merlin returned, voice full of regret. "Not really. I could have _easily_ told you that day, but I walked away."

"Trust and wisdom do not always go hand in hand, Merlin," Arthur said softly. "Neither of us were ready for the truth to come out that day. You had the sense to know that; I did not."

Merlin was silent for a long time, turning those words over in his head. "So when did you actually figure it out? Was it after the fire?"

Arthur barked a laugh. "No, though I see now how much of an _idiot_ I was for _not_ figuring it out. No. You said the same thing, 'You're wrong,' to Anye. That's when I knew."

Merlin chuckled softly. "Two words," he said finally. "After all my secrecy, after living in hiding my entire life, two little words betrayed me."

Arthur smiled. "Yes. But I'm glad they did."

Merlin looked sideways at him, and they studied each other for a moment. "I'm glad they did, too."

**The End**

**A/N: I know, the epilogue was shorter than other chapters. That was intentional, actually. I just wanted to wrap things up nice and neatly.**

**Thank you to all of my readers! You've stuck with me for quite some time in order to finish this series. I really appreciate all your reviews and support.**

**What will I do now, you ask? I'M GOING TO DISNEYLAND!**

**JK. Although that would be pretty sweet.**

**First I shall return to ****Iron Grip****,****which has been on hold while I finished this up. After that, who knows.**

**Thanks for everything! Please leave me one last review for this story. I'd love to hear feedback, both about the epilogue in particular, as well as the whole of OWS and the series in its entirety.**

**THANK YOU EVERYONE! LOVE YOU ALL!**

**~Sydelle Rein**


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